#who BEGS like armand begged so many times

[helianthus21]

after reading about Armand begging Lestat and later Louis to love him, to stay with him, i need 70s/80s!Daniel to beg Armand to not leave him for Louis in the show only for Armand to wipe his memory. i think that would break both of them and also me

[gregrulzok]

Devil's Minion is an interesting title though, isn't it.

I mean one of them is a creature designed and all but required to kill. He could eat animals, technically, but we know that isn't sustainable long term - even Louis, who genuinely tried it, wanted it so bad, couldn't keep the diet up for long. That's just not sustainable for their bodies, not what they were made for.

And the many long centuries of isolation, many long centuries of being unable to go out during the day, to talk to people without raising suspicion - and the changing of times, watching the culture shift and drift away from you without being able to fully follow it... Anyone would be distant from humans, from humanity, it's a shift in the psyche supported from every angle to make you view people as prey rather than equals.

And then the other? Human. A guy. He had relatives, friends, probably. He's more than likely lost people before, knows the grief of death far more intimately than a being designed to take two or three lives in a day ever could.

And yet, night after night, he holds the hunter in his arms. Cuddles up to him, ignores the fact that any warmth in his lover cost another human being their life. He ignores the pain and suffering they went through despite being fully equipped to understand it, ignores the grief and heartache he knows their close ones must be feeling - more than that, he takes pleasure in it! He drinks the blood of the monster, for no reason other than his own pleasure, and he tastes in it the wails and screams and desperation of those that were killed for it, and he's addicted to it. He wants more. He craves it, needs it.

More than THAT, even, he wants nothing more than to be part of it. To have the power to take human lives, to be the same as the alleged devil. Armand had no choice in the matter, not really, and has no choice but to kill - Daniel wants it, more than anything, he's constantly preoccupied with it, begs for it over and over and over.

.

And on the other hand, it's Daniel who gets his wishes granted. Daniel who can point at anything he wants and have it in his possession the next moment. Sure, he has to follow Armand's whims and impulses, teach Armand, follow him everywhere, but at the end of the day Armand is serving Daniel as much as he is himself, if not more.

And it's Armand who has to, through arguments and tears and heartache, defend what he sees as the one boundary he set in the relationship. The one line he has begged Daniel over and over again not to try to cross, Daniel has to test again and again.

He'll do anything for Daniel, anything, except for the one thing that would hurt him most - and its still not enough.

...

Devil's Minion, huh.

[cuntylouis]

Months of reading how Armand is the Big Bad man behind the curtain manipulating and mindcontrolling everyone with his godlike powers, and now suddenly in one day it switched to cruel Pimp Louis manipulating and enslaving Armand and Armand being his poor victim. I'm begging you to look at these characters and their relationships with some nuance. I'm not denying that Louis is trying to manipulate Armand in some moments (Jacob said it himself in the post-episode bit) but seeing that park scene as Louis intentionally evoking Armand's trauma and a pimp and slave assuming their old roles is in my opinion a stretch and i didn't read it that way. Tbh i also find it pretty offensive that some people are acting like when Louis was a pimp he was doing something similar to people who subjected Armand to literal sexual slavery because they're vastly different situations.

Arun isn't Armand's 'slave name' or 'prostitute name', it was his actual birth name before he was sold and abused, and he lost that name due to abuse. If Louis had actually wanted to push a master-slave dynamic he would've probably called Armand Amadeo, because that was the name Armand's abuser, who Armand served and in some way still loves, gave to him. When Louis was a pimp he notably also didn't actually act particularly domineering with sex workers, on the contrary he was usually friendly to them, because he felt guilty for exploiting women and tried to convince himself he was just helping and working with them and that they were equals. He made sex workers like Bricktop Williams minority owners of his business and they felt comfortable with criticizing him. If Louis had actually 'treated Armand like one of his prostitutes' in this episode he would've acted completely differently. Remember also that Armand has a remarkable mind gift and that Louis is bad at hiding his thoughts: if Louis had actually been trying to manipulate Armand in this specific way, Armand would very likely know it.

In the beginning of the episode Armand is frustrated that Louis doesn't acknowledge that they're companions, and Louis expresses that they don't really know each other. Later at the restaurant Armand gets angry and uses his powers dramatically which upsets Louis. He also talks to Louis rather harshly, saying that he and Santiago are acting like fledglings (children) and angrily tells Louis to come back when he leaves. Later Armand comes to apologize bringing flowers. All this reminds Louis of Lestat, and reveals how apprehensive he still is about Armand. Armand deciding to tell Louis his story is a conscious effort to show vulnerability and convince Louis of what he promised: that Armand isn't like Lestat and he isn't going to hurt him. Jacob said that dreamstat represents not only Lestat but Louis' doubts about Armand. In the museum scene this is particularly obvious when Louis feels deep sympathy for Armand, but at the same time dreamstat - a part of Louis - looks angry and distrustful. According to Jacob in the park scene as Louis lets go of Lestat he's also letting go of those doubts and accepting Armand as he is and for who he is.

So when Louis calls Armand by his birth name that could be considered his 'real' name even though no one has called him that for centuries, i see it as him saying 'Do we see each other now? Are we honest about things now? Can i trust that you are who you say you are?' When Armand calls Louis maitre he's trying to establish an impression of equality, because as they both know Armand is the maitre and the leader of the coven and the one with much more power. For Armand the ideal of love is the one of mutual worship and servitude. Like many things with Armand, his actions in this episode are both sincere and manipulative, and his seeming submissiveness is also certain kind of domination that helps him to get what he wants.

I just don't think their relationship is anything like Louis being a master and Armand being a slave at all. It's a very, very complicated and mercurial relationship that is not easily defined and where the dynamics are constantly shifting. As Jacob said, they're constantly flip-flopping between who's the dominant one and who's the submissive one, and who needs what out of the other. He also said that at the end of this episode their relationship takes on this almost BDSM kind of role playing where their roles switch, which implies that a) it's a play and not what their relationship is actually like and b) there was earlier a different dynamic where Armand was more dominant. Their Rashid role play in Dubai was also that, a role play.

When talking about those Louis' 'manipulative instincts' as Jacob called them, it needs to be considered they're something that Louis developed having to live in a racist society for all his life ("using his weakness to rise") and being in an abusive relationship for decades. For Louis that kind of soft power has often been the only power he has, and of course he's resorting to it when in a relationship with much older and much more powerful person he doesn't fully trust. The way i perceive Louis and Armand's relationship, it's a fragile, carefully crafted design built on contradictions, performances and illusions, where they both seek to maintain a fantasy where they both feel sufficiently in control and the relief of releasing that control at the same time

[loustat-0]

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE SEASON TWO PREDICTION & POSSIBLE SPOILERS =========>>>>>>

2x1 is going to be about the revenants & Claudia & Louis being bitter towards each other in Europe . Louis seeing Lestat's hallucination .

2x2 arrival to Paris meeting the vampire Armand & the coven of theater the vampires .

2x3 Flashbacks to Armand & Lestat relationship & Nickolas . Parts of Lestat backstory & Armand's back story told by Armand in Dubai to Daniel .

2x4 Armand & Louis's relationship starting to form Lestat present in their relationship Louis & Armand hook up . Claudia as an actress & Louis & Claudia's fight about Louis choosing someone else over her . Claudia meeting Madeline after her show in the theater . Some bitterness shaping between Louis & Armand at the end of the episode in the Dubai timeline . Claudia starting to resent the vampires in the theater . " FUCK theses vampires " she will start resenting Armand too .

2x5 Flashbacks to the 70s . The first interview between Young Daniel & Louis . With Armand also present there . Louis's & Daniel's conversation starts heating up When Daniel tells Louis that he doesn't even know the meaning of his story & hinting to his story having missing pieces & he's not reliable so Louis gets in a fight with him . Some parts of Armand & young Daniel relationship which most people who got the screener said it was so interesting & intense & they were specifically asked not to spoil this part anywhere . Which makes me even more hopeful about the possibility of Devil's minion happening . But not fully . At least we'll get some hints of how Armand & Daniel's relationship started . ( Hopefully ) . Some Alice hints

2x6 Claudia demanding Louis to make her a companion because she feels Louis is gonna leave him & that she's in danger from Armand & the others . And then it leads to Making of the Vampire Madeline or so called the " woman vampire" by Louis & Claudia both . And Louis & Armand & Claudia & Madeline going to celebrate the new fledgling & new beginning . And Then Louis will finally be informed by Armand that it was him who used his powers on Louis to make him want to make Madeline & Louis . And Louis will try to leave Armand out of Anger & when he does & when he goes back to Claudia & Madeline the vampires of the theater arrest them & take them to the trial . This episode will end with Louis seeing the REAL LESTAT for the first time . And that would be the cliff hanger . + A new character will be introduced either from the Mayfair universe or one of the oldest vampires under cover . Or maybe just a new character .

2x7 it will be Santiago asking questions as the judge but being nasty about it . Some truth will definitely come out . Claudia's hatred towards Louis will become more vivid . She will blame Louis as much blaming Lestat . Only 1x7 will be revisited to reveal it was actually Claudia who killed Lestat . And the reason she chose Louis over Lestat as a companion . All her manipulation & her using Louis . Lestat's crimes are also gonna be called in as well . Like making a vampire so young . Like abusing Claudia & Louis & probably Louis & Claudia saying their maker ( Lestat ) never taught them any rules . But Claudia won't beg for mercy & that's her doom . She will probably say Lestat deserved it & she would do it again . ( Foreshadowing to what her ghost told Louis in Merrick ) Claudia will be called guilty & so will Louis & Madeline . Claudia & Madeline will be executed. And Louis will seek revenge & burn the theater down by the end of Ep 7 .

A : 2x8 you might say that while Louis knows everything about Claudia's death then why is he with Armand still ? I think the answer to this question is because Louis himself still doesn't know what Armand actually did to Claudia or what he could have done with Lestat back in Paris after her death . There are probably many things Louis is definitely going to see more clearly after episode 7 . The diaries will gather together Louis will know the real truth about Armand possibly Cutting Claudia's head & attaching it to another body & that how much she really resented Louis . 1x5 will most likely be revisited in the last episode as well because it wasn't mentioned in any reviews about Ep 1_6 . we'll get to see if Armand tampered with that memory or it was all really just from a different POV ? ( My anticipation is , it was hugely Armand's tampering with that memory ) . This will make Louis act out badly . BUT my dilemma is whether this will end to his suicide or him Going back to New Orleans to find Lestat again .

B : If the NOLA scenes & loustat hug scene are from 2000 then the suicide is more possible . BUT IF the NOLA reunion is in 2023 then I didn't think Louis would have a reason to commit suicide other than Claudia's resentment or Lestat's rejection to have him again . Also I noticed something that I think some other fans noticed as well . in the reunion scene there seems to be blood in Lestat's head it's like sticky blood on his hair when Louis hugs him Louis also has a cut on his finger which hasn't healed fast so that might have happend when Louis tries to hurt Lestat believing he's hallucinating him again but when Lestat bleeds & probably starts falling down being in a weak state & doesn't disappear after a long time Louis will realize that Lestat is actually real . But something important happens after this . Which will reveal the real Lestat as a big ending & possible opening for S3

. C : we'll also probably get hints of Armand & Daniel's relationship too in the last episode that hints at what actually happened between them . And what will happen to their relationship in 2023 & hopefully in S3 .

[foreignemotion]

Enduring in B Minor

Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac

Summary: As a hurricane approaches New Orleans, Lestat de Lioncourt sifts through his memories of past loves, familial and romantic. Little does he know, fifty years of waiting to hear of Louis de Pointe du Lac's wellbeing is about to come to an end. Word count: 1.2k Warnings/Tags: canon compliant, missing scene, hurt/comfort, pining, memory loss, reunions. A/N: Wrote this following the finale of IWTV S2. All Lestat needs is a kiss on the forehead and he'll be good to go.

—

The advantage of ivory keys was that they did not have a tendency to wear away as easily as wooden ones. Never did Lestat miss the weight of them beneath his fingertips more than when a finger slipped into the incorrect groove. He would wince, hearing the unfitting note in his head clash with the tinny, electronic score that Siri sputtered out.

She, despite her uses, played but a caricature of what an orchestra could. She could not hold a candle to the feeling of drums that reverberated through him when he performed on stage, beating out an irregular heart’s rhythm through his undead body. She could not replicate the shrill of a too-fast violin that would sing through his veins; he would find the boy’s eyes in the orchestral pit and feel his breath catch, the play slowing around him as he stretched out time for another moment to bask in his attention.

Lestat blinked back into Louisiana. He found his hands clawed, nails sinking into the soft wood. It had been made smooth by both his hands and the humidity. He breathed in deep, scenting the Mississippi river and the hurricane that followed eagerly on its heels. The house, and the bunker he was in, seemed to quake in fearful anticipation. Siri continued her lament, awaiting his accompaniment. His fingers lay poised above the keys, yet the thoughts of Nicolas—young, sweet Niki—had made way for thoughts of another.

Louis was the stage-lights that had warmed him for so many nights. With Louis near, he was reminded of what the sun’s embrace could feel like after centuries of bleak midnights. In his absence, there was a deep ache in his bones that he refused to leave him. On the worst of the lonesome nights, when candles were his only company, his teeth would chatter until he ground his molars together. His jaw would absorb the shaking as best it could before it spread to his shoulders, his hands, his entire being. Only when he tasted iron did he realise he was crying, chest heaving with sobs.

Slowly, he lowered his hands to the wood again, fingertips finding their way into familiar grooves as he tried to shake off the ghosts of past lovers. Lestat took up the threnody again, his movements slow in their practice. With each note, he attempted to compose himself, but mistakes betrayed his usual flawless playing. If he still had use of a proper piano, he would have slammed his hands across the keys, causing the instrument to groan discordantly in protest. He could do no such thing with his wooden imitation, and he gripped it with the intention to throw it aside. After a moment’s hesitation, he loosened his grip and sat back in his chair, letting memory overtake him. There was no use fighting them off any longer; they were a monster who demanded to be heeded.

Lestat remembered the date and time exactly. 11:07; September eighth, 1973. New Orleans had been shrugging off her summer heat yet continued to wrap herself in humidity like one would a favourite shawl. Armand’s voice had come to him, his sultry tones like summer smoke, telling him that Louis had harmed himself. Lestat's breath had choked from him, throat constricting dangerously. The sun and her fledgling—fire—had taken too much from him already.

“Tell him I love him, Armand,” he had begged, “Please.”

There had been no reply. He had screamed Louis’ name long after he knew Armand could no longer hear him.

Worry still gnawed away at Lestat like a worm within an apple core. All these decades later and imagined images still haunted him. He had seen Louis burned before, and had carried him up to coffin himself, but his mind was a cruel mistress. She conjured images of fat and sinew bubbling under the sun to expose the bone beneath, of skin sloughing away into ash.

He had seen this all before. He knew the pain of losing your own flesh and blood; he had felt it in the very marrow of his bones.

He did not know if he could endure it again.

As try as he might, he could not weave together all the threads of memory about the trial. It was an incomplete tapestry, the piece long abandoned. Lestat remembered the script, the stage, the smell of singed flesh. He recalled his limbs feeling leaden, his thoughts fogged. He remembered Louis’ wavering voice, his terrified jade eyes, bloodshot and beautiful. He remembered Claudia’s defiance, her words as sharp and cutting as a razor. He reminisced on her bravery, her protectiveness. He could never forget the way she had turned to him for help. Lestat remembered his own shame in being able to only watch.

He would never forgive himself for not being able to save both of them, but most of all to not rescue Claudia.

Lestat resurfaced from the clutches of memory like a man drowning, gasping for breath. He reached blindly for his piano, clutching it in his shaking hands. The wood grounded him, reminding him that he was no longer in Paris. He hunched over the keys now, hair grazing the wood as his fingers picked up the music again. He could lose himself in the notes, to remind him of anything but those he’d lost.

The door to the bunker slammed open, kicking back against the wall. Lestat refused to let it interrupt his playing, yet the smell of warm blood was tantalising. The two rats his catcher had brought him were larger than most; their heartbeats were frantic despite their quietness. Animal blood was tarter than that of a human with a tang that clung to the back of the throat, yet Lestat could not admit he was overly fond of the taste. Yet, is hunger betrayed him, fangs pricking his tongue.

It was then that another scent caught Lestat’s attention.

He continued to play, his catcher drivelling on about the hurricane, before beginning to question his own existentialism. He had heard all this before, but at least it had come from someone he had loved, let alone tolerated…

He was sure that his senses were deceiving him. Louis had always smelled exquisite, like fresh rain laced underneath cigarette smoke. It was intoxicating. It wrapped around him now, almost suffocating in its closeness. It had to be the hurricane, bringing new scents to him the closer it got to the city.

Then why could hear a third heartbeat in the room?

“Who you?” His catcher demanded; his voice had turned away from Lestat.

“Hello.” The illusion that was Louis replied.

Why did his voice sound so close?

He was in such a reverie that when Lestat answered that the name slurred on his tongue. Louis had always tasted even more deliciously than wine.

“Louis…”

Lestat lifted his head from his piano then, if only to confirm that his mind was playing tricks on him. He turned his head, and there he was, those emerald eyes finding his sapphires from across the room.

Time slowed to a halt, the world quietening around him.

“Hello, Lestat.” Louis said, voice smooth as the darkest merlot. Lestat thought he’d never hear it again, and he had to swallow the tears pricking his eyes.

“Hello, Louis.”

[blatterpussbunnyfromhell]

RIGHT!!!!!!! I don't think I'll ever get sick of those two! Are you re-reading or is this your first time? Do you have any favorite lesmand/armandstat quote(s) so far? (:

SAME, I COULD NEVER GET ENOUGH OF THEM! It's my first time reading the books, and I've been trying to get my hands on a copy of TotBT for about 3 weeks now since I finished QoTD (it should arrive in 5 days now).

There are actually soooo many Lesmand quotes that I love, I actually took pictures of my copy of TVL to highlight them on my phone, but they're in french 😅😅

There's this whole scene where Armand and Lestat are holding each other and Armand bites Lestat, tries to drink him dry and Lestat fights back and beats Armand to a pulp before feeling awful about it and taking him to Gabrielle and Armand begs them to let him stay with them but they can't allow it (cause he's too crazy and Gabrielle sees right through him), however Lestat says it doesn't matter, cause he knows that Armand’s place is with him and Gabrielle. I just really love this whole sequence of events.

And the line where Armand whispers to Lestat something like (retranslating from french back to english, it might not be accurate to the original quote) "Who would know how to love us as we can love each other?" this line fucks me up for at least two reasons:

1. It's so unbelievably desperate and romantic and speaks to Armand’s yearning for Lestat and what he represents, and how they love one another despite knowing what the other is capable of at his worst

2. It's eerily similar to that scene in IWTV when after burning down the Paris coven, Louis tells Armand this (and yeah I have a picture of my english copy for this one):

And after reading TVL and going back to this scene, it's obvious to me that Armand here was thinking of what he said to Lestat and was surprised to hear similar words from Louis (who interpreted his shock as him being confused by what he meant).

And also that moment in QotD where Lestat refers to Armand as an urchin with the face of an angel fjjfdkkdjfls.

I really hope that s3 will give us some lesmand scenes from Lestat’s perspective <3

[mirefireflies]

listen okay hear me out ..

claudia is cassandra is a canary in a coal mine..

in new orleans claudia left. twice. she saw the patterns of abuse and tried to warn louis but he didn’t listen. lestat the vulnerable becomes lestat the irritable becomes lestat the controlling, you watch. she knew what would happen because it had already happened before. (the prophet cassandra was cursed to see the future and never be believed.) she tried again and again to warn her people and they refused to listen.

when simply pointing out the pattern to louis isn’t enough, claudia begs him to leave with her, to go to europe, but it isn’t until lestat attacks claudia and slams her into the wall that louis finally seems to wake up, and finally sees the danger they are both in. (a canary was an early indicator of dangerous gasses in a coal mine, when the canary passed out, the workers would evacuate) claudia is louis’ indicator, when she’s in danger, something is wrong

then, during the trial, not only is claudia ignored by the crowd whenever she tries to speak out, she is actively —painfully— silenced by the coven. her mind is fogged and crushed in a vice. her ankles are cut to stop her from running, or even standing at all, and though the allusion to slavery is clear, it’s also reminiscent of the way that birds will have their wings clipped to stop them from flying away.

and that’s not even going into how claudia is explicitly compared to birds multiple times. because you are built like a bird, because you are a mistake. the entirety of the baby lu play in all its awful foreshadowing. tweedily deedily dead.

but she goes out fighting, with her head held high. and she warns the audience that she will have her vengeance in one way or another. i now know all your faces. cassandra faces her own death calmly, secure in the knowledge that she will have her revenge, that agamemnon will be brutally murdered only moments after herself. and though she might not know it yet, claudia will similarly be avenged by louis. but despite her constant defiance, when the time comes, claudia too is calm. she comforts madeleine in the moments before the end, and she holds her even as she is burning too.

claudia and cassandra are alike in so many ways it genuinely makes me lose my mind. they are both raped and brutalized, mocked and ignored. they are both taken from their homes, turned into something unnatural against their will, given a blessing that is really a curse and then punished for being ungrateful. their makers are their abusers and the worst part of being cursed is that it turns them into a reflection of their maker.

the tragedy of girls who see too much.. whose warnings are forever ignored… who cannot escape their fate even when they see it coming.. who are killed for reasons that have nothing to do with them..

and claudia’s death is what finally, definitively proves to louis that he is in a dangerous situation in paris. of course, he also suffers at the hands of the coven, but he himself says that he was more worried about claudia, calling for her in the restaurant, desperate for any sign that she was alive when they first get captured, fighting not to be taken away from her at the end of the trial. in losing claudia, he loses his sense of danger, of self preservation. he goes mad in the graveyard, and plans his own death while planning his vengeance. she was an early warning sign, but more than that, she was his guiding light. and daniel sees this and invokes claudia to get through to louis, to finally make him see the truth about armand’s involvement in her death. you were supposed to die with claudia. if he doesn’t remember the realities of her death then he cannot see the warning signs and so once again, claudia saves him.

and, of course, she dies in a canary yellow dress.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Heey, I've finished Memnoch, and I'm evidently among those crazy people who enjoy it a lot. Although it would land differently if I didn't read ahead. The further I go, the more this wet cat of a man entices me. PL Lestat did something to my brain, I will probably love all the mad shenanigans now. + The ending made a lot of sense after TVA and Blood and Gold. I kiiind of regret I've skipped this part at first, though, because now I'm curious what the ending would do to me without spoilers 🤣

So, a question. How did Armand's religious frenzy look for you when other novels haven't come out yet? I'm not sure I would have understood it the same way only with his TVL chapter. And what did you think in general with the context of what Anne was saying at the time? It kinda did feel like she didn't want to write about them anymore and wanted to explore something else. So I get why people would be confused.

By now I enjoy it a lot as well!! It grew on me on second reread, which is not that far back actually, and was followed by a pause and then a third. There is a lot in there and a lot that makes one think, and a lot... crazy stuff *laughs*

So this was, by statement, supposed to be the last book. Then. She did not want to write them anymore, indeed.

Which, you might imagine, was devastating, with that ending.

Armand gone up in flames, others, too. Lestat mad, jaded and slinking into obscurity.

I didn't touch the books for the longest time.

I'm not sure I can answer your question wrt to Armand and his religious frenzy. It's... been a while (maybe others want to add on with their experiences here?!) - I just remember that reading it all... was devastating.

Louis, crying and begging at the locked doors. The absolute despair in it all, in the grief of losing Armand.

Lestat saying: "Adieu, mon amour." the last thing in the book.

The whole book screams for some answers. Answers that are still denied in the end. Was it the Devil? Was it God? Was it purgatory? Did Armand sacrifice himself there for anything that is true? Or was it just a futile gesture, which brought only pain, no relief... I can understand the utter shock to the system actual proof had to produce in Armand - him, a child of the Children of Satan, being confronted with the actual proof within this universe.

It must have been devastating as well, emotionally, and for his soul.

So much of what he believed he had left behind and overcome... crushing him now.

Now, TVA followed. Merrick. Blood and Gold. Pandora. Blackwood Farm. Blood Canticle. I picked them up at some point, somewhat disbelievingly.

I did not really enjoy them the first time, after Memnoch the wound was still open, the yearning to get back to Lestat for some kind of resolution for him and Louis quite strong. The blow had been intense, and Merrick promised... and then the other books did not deliver. And Blood Canticle felt absolutely OOC, though I find it has its place now in his arc. Now.

Because back then I could not have dreamed that Anne would finish the arcs. Or some at least. Would pick up the threads for Louis, Lestat and even Claudia once more, reshape them. I had not dreamed that the last trilogy would give them resolution.

Would close so many wounds.

I'm older now. I understand a lot more about trauma, and pain, and loss, and how these things shape us.

I read these books now quite differently. Their voices sound differently in my mind. I know why Anne had to let Louis go, and why she struggled so hard. I can feel the pain of loss and the wish to find a higher purpose in the tale.

So yeah^^. Reading it back then without the other books... was indeed something^^. But I do enjoy rereading it now too. :)

[proofsiege]

My Lestat spotify playlist;

With explanation(rant) because Im a dork who is very proud of this and I love this guy could talk about him till my voice bubbles and words crack

Playlist here <

> 4 minute warning, Radiohead

Probably more book Lestat, are they really that different from eachother? but specifically Lord Wolfkiller, early Lestat, pre and just post transformation Lestat, Lestat who's dragged out his bedroom window and begs for God, his denial and unwelcomed embrace from the dark gift. (When i find you magnus...)

> La mer, nine inch nails

> Bury me deep inside, HIM

It wouldn't be Lestat without some rock, and it most definitely wouldnt be Lestat without HIM, yearning rock songs if that doesn't scream him then I don't know what does, oh wow could this song be used to explain so much of him haha Lestat stalking Louis through New Orleans completely encapsulated by him, falls head over heels for a man he doesn't know and creates this perfect picture of who Louis is and what they could be, the man who just lets Louis beat him to a pulp and then cries attachment issues, his first love Nicolas and we all know how that (well, he) ended. Lestat who says himself the only way he'd die is from murder, he would never turn to the fire with Louis there.

> The fall, Gary Numan

ROCKSTAR LESTAT!!! ROCKSTAR LESTAT!!!

> Love me, love and rockets

So love this song so much, sums up season three i feel pretty well, going to be lots of things going on especially with past lovers, best believe when the scenepacks are out i will be on that like hound to a fox people!!

> Leash called love, The sugarcubes

BJORK! Sums up lestats thoughts on armand after episode 8 lol Believing and being confused as to why Louis stayed with Armand under the assumption that he knew he was the one who actually saved him, this poor boy. (Hes a murderer)

> The search of my rose, The tear garden

Guys... m*gnus.. vomit, don't shoot the messenger now, a reflection of how his maker consistently is always shadowing over his current relationships, with louis, you either get it or you don't!!

> Musette and drums, cocteau twins

> Into the light, Siouxsie and the banshees

> The way things are, Fiona apple

HOW NOONE HAS SEEN THE ALIKENESS BETWEEN HIM AND THIS SONG IS INSANE. "how could I fight? when were on the same side, how could I fight? beside you" Especially now with what we know about lestat and Louis during that argument. Wake up people!!!

That is the end! I have many many more playlists, for claudia, louis and armand ,finding music is my past time if I'm trapped on an island give me unlimited data with access to Google I would be the happiest person. Turn me into a vampire so I can listen to music for eternity.

[duriens]

did the show just.... butcher devil's minion completely??

I didn't mind Armand's characterization in the show so far (well, kind of, except the fact that they turned him into a supervillain vs. saint Lestat) but the sudden reveal that Daniel Molloy was turned by Armand "out of spite", leaving him all alone to fend for himself apparently, really put me off. so not only there is little to no chance that devil's minion ever happened in the 70s or 80s, but also it's not gonna happen in 2022? because Daniel has already been turned, and the turning of Daniel is the culmination of Armand's and Daniel's relationship arc together, one that is for sure unhealthy and codependent and obsessive, but that was also tender and sweet in a very special way - no wonder that chapter has been a fan favorite for so many for so long. and they just.... discarded it like that?

Daniel's a vampire, he's been turned out of spite, it's heavily hinted that it happened either immediately after Dubai or very little time later. I really doubt there has been time/interest to do any sort of chase, or one that culminates into the sort of feelings Armand and Daniel develop for each other, at least. Daniel destroyed Armand in the eyes of his lover and I really don't think there's any sort of love story brewing there. Doesn't seem it happened in the past either, cause there's not a single hint at the Alice theory in this episode and I thought that if it was true, we'd have another little crumb before the season was over.

What about Armand's line that making fledglings repulsed/repulses him? That was a really important piece of characterization and they didn't even let us see him work through that when turning Daniel. Book Armand sees the process as something worse than killing, and that is why he never did it. He finally concedes because of love for Daniel, however obsessive it is, because Daniel is begging him on his death bed, because he needs him forever and Daniel needs him, too. From repulsion to acceptance because of a pure, absolute sentiment. Show Armand turns Daniel Molloy because he's full of spite. Why would they take the 'Armand is a super villain and theres nothing else to him' route and give him a petty vedetta for that one act that is so important for him in the book, as a character? Why??

and why did they have the talamasca guy tell Daniel 'you should be scared of the other one' when literally they made Armand the dude who kills and turns Daniel, whereas Louis is his best friend?? It just doesn't make sense. There's quite a bit that doesn't make sense to me in this last episode. But I gotta admit, the treatment of Armand's and Daniel's characters has baffled me. even if I weren't a devil minion's fan or a fan of these two characters specifically, it would've rubbed me the wrong way.

I don't know. I guess we'll see what they do next; hoping that there is more to that event than a simple 'oh he turned u cause u ruined his life' and Armand fucking off into the sunset forever (not quite, lol). maybe we'll find out it was all an elaborate plot from Daniel who knew he was paying with fire and counted on Armand to be so mad he would do the one act he found repulsive: finally making a vampire. maybe that's it, and Daniel had decided at some point during the sessions that he didn't want to die, that he wanted the gift. maybe he never changed his mind about it since the 70s. maybe he played Armand. manipulating the manipulator? makes sense in a way, I guess, but boy is it a waste to not serve on a silver platter all those sad and tender and raw and odd feelings that the devil's minion chapter already had prepared for us.

[zombie-bait]

listen if you love amc iwtv and haven’t read the books I’m begging you to read The Vampire Lestat. I know there’s hardcore fans out there who love book one and think you need to read them all in order and I respect the grind, I really do. But.

The Vampire Lestat changed me.

Everything about it was so instantly fascinating. The My Immortal ass prologue, the eloquent writing, the struggles with religion, the history, the overt queerness (this was pre amc iwtv so all I had was the movie ok 😭), the campiness, the quotes that run through my head night and day. Lestat is a bombastic protagonist who’s desperate to survive and find a single ounce of love in a godless world. You get to see a new side of Armand, you get Nicki, you get Lestat’s mother (who I could write a whole essay on). You get the Loustat reunion in all its emotionally glory. If you want to know why the went so hard with the show I implore you to read that book.

Interview is good but TVL is powerful. Where Interview was full of grief, TVL is full of hope and pessimism and defiance that rose from the ashes of that grief. You can feel how much Anne changed in the 7 years between the two books not just as an author but a person. Is it perfect? No of course not, its kind of insane at times. But this is the Vampire Chronicles we’re talking about, I think that’s a given (and, at many times, a positive).

((Edit because I was sleep deprived while writing this and left some stuff out: This is mostly aimed at ppl who are on the fence about reading the books after watching the show or who have tried to read Interview and weren't too grabbed by it. I would potentially recommend watching the movie, skimming book 1 and then reading book 2. The differences in Anne's writing style and opinions on religion are genuinely fascinating to read first hand. The stand out part of experiencing the two books together is how different Louis and Lestat's accounts are. It's an incredibly unique case of both protagonists being unreliable narrators that I haven't seen in other media. This post is largely just me going "hey, if you tried Interview and it made you not want to read more even though you really enjoy the ambiance/concept then TVL might be more up your alley." If you want an in-depth look into the series and if you want to catch/compare everything with the tv show, then absolutely read the first book! I did and I don't regret it, even though I do feel like book 2 is stronger. Tryna keep this short cuz I love this series and I have a million things to say hjdhsfhjkdhjh))

[zkaus]

Why do you think this interview is happening?

As the entire Dubai storyline is new, we just don't know where it's all heading, but I'm utterly fascinated!!

There are so many amazing theories! I've summarised my favs below:

THEORY 1: - The interview is for Armand/Daniel

This theory argues that Armand and Daniel's relationship will mirror the books. In the books, Armand was obsessed with Daniel (stalked him for years), then they were a couple for 8 years before Armand turned him. Armand desperately didn't want to, but Daniel was dying (substance abuse) - it was turn him or lose him.

This theory suggests that in the show Armand wiped Daniel's memories years ago, but still loves him. He has been tracking him closely, and upon finding out that he's dying, he freaks out.

He can't stand losing him, so, he has Louis repeat the interview (to reproduce the process that originally brought Daniel to him). He pretended to be human so Daniel had the opportunity to connect with him as an equal, a proper companion (like how Lestat hid his Cloud Gift from Louis).

THEORY 2: - General Vampire Unrest

This theory argues that there is unrest in the Vampire world and that the interview is about provoking Lestat into finding them. This suggests that Dubai storyline takes place either before 'Prince Lestat' or 'The Vampire Lestat', and that they are trying to get him to come to Dubai to help them sort out the unrest (as in the beginning of 'Prince Lestat'). Basically, Daniel's book is like Benji's radio station, begging Lestat to come to them.

THEORY 3: - 'The Groan' is Those Who Must Be Kept

This theory argues that 'The Groan' we hear many times throughout the Dubai scenes is Those Who Must Be Kept waking up. That's a HUGE problem because they would enslave the human and vampire races. (Possibly, the apartment in Dubai is Marius's house - It is his painting is on the wall).

They need Lestat's help to pacify/deal with them, so the interview is a way to get his attention. Also, we know Lestat has already met them before (he mentions this in episode 6) so it's canon that he knows them.

THEORY 4 :- 'The Groan' is Lestat

This theory argues that the show takes place after Memnoch and that it's Lestat groaning in despair. This supposes that (some of) the events of TVL, QOTD and ToTBT have already happened. At this point in the books, Lestat is semi-catatonic, but wakes up to save Louis when he attempts suicide. Earlier, he also helps Armand by culling a huge amount of vampires which were threatening the safety of the city. As Armand says in the show, the interview is basically a suicide note. So, this interview could be about getting Lestat to wake up by provoking the rest of the Vampires to try killing Louis.

THEORY 5a:- The Interview is for Louis

This theory supposes that Louis is a captive/prisoner of Armand, and that he is pretending to love him, but actually wants to escape. It argues that Louis is planning to publish IWTV to provoke Lestat into action and save him from Armand (and the vampires who would try to kill him). This one suggests that Armand loves Louis and is controlling/passifying him to 'protect' him from himself.

This theory also suggests that Armand is behaving like a caregiver, and allowing Louis to do the interview as a form of therapy. But that he has no intention of allowing Daniel to actually publish it (as he knows it's a death sentence for Louis).

THEORY 5b:- The interview is for Lestat

This theory is similar to the one above, except that it proposes that Armand will allow the book to be published. This is to provoke Lestat to come to them (either so Armand can kill him or because he is in love with Lestat too). And that he is pretending to be human both to avoid being mentioned in the book Daniel will publish, and to manipulate/control what Daniel will write about his past (the Theatre of the Vampires etc).

And that's just the start! There are so, so, so many more. And so many unanswered questions. I can't wait till season 2, to find out!

Personally, I think it's a combination of several (1, 3 and 5b).

Which do you think is most likely?

Do you have a different theory?

Anything to add?

.

[indelicateink]

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

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

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

Armand/Louis de Pointe du Lac Blood Drinking

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

--

Raglan James/Daniel Molloy

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

--

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

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

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

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

--

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

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

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

--

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

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

--

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

dyke loumand have sex on a motorbike

--

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

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

--

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

--

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

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

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

--

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

--

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

[half-as-big-as-life]

Okay, I have to ask about "The law & daniel molloy"

YIPPEE!!! Law & daniel molloy is my baby

There's 2 universes of it right now. Both are the same premise, but the minor characters are different. All human AU.

The Law & Daniel Molloy is a crossover with one of my favorite tv shows, The Law & Harry McGraw, which itself is a spinoff of Murder, She Wrote. Harry was in 6 episodes of MSW iirc, and the spinoff had 16 episodes before it was canceled.

The show revolves around Harry, who is a private investigator in boston. His closest friend works across the hall from him in the same building, a defense attorney named Eleanor Maginnis. Harry is kind of uncouth, but nice. Ellie is fancy. You wouldn't expect them to be as close as they are from appearances/personality alone.

Ellie's husband, Matt, died two years before the last episode, and the timeline is in spinoff hell because why wouldn't it be. Harry was an alcoholic and Matt, before he died, was the one who got Harry to attend AA.

Next is Harry's niece, EJ. She works for him as his assistant. Ellie's nephew Steve works for Ellie, and he's a tax lawyer.

There's other characters, like Cookie. He is the bartender at the bar/restaurant Harry loves. Everyone else thinks the food is bad except Harry.

As well as that, there is Tyler Chase, a district attorney, who hates Harry and is in love with Eleanor. He is... something. AND he was played by Peter Haskell, the guy from the Chucky movies, I guess.

I swear, all these characters are relevant.

PART 2: CHARACTERS

Daniel takes the role of Harry, and Armand of Ellie, and Marius of Matt. I've changed my mind about EJ and Steve, I think Sybelle may be EJ and Antoine be Steve.

Thorne is Cookie. That's not truly important but it is a silly little thing and why I mentioned Cookie at all. Yippee! Thorne!

And David as Tyler Chase.

PART 3: THE AUS THEMSELVES

Section 1

Like I said, there are 2 AUs. One is of an episode of the show, the other is the ACTUAL AU.

The one that is just an actual episode of the show is the last episode, Maginnis for the People, in which Ellie is upset when her friend is accused of murdering her (the friend's) husband, and hires some famous fuck from texas instead of her (Ellie).

In this AU, which I've called De Romanus for the People, the plot is the same.

Armand's work has been slow lately

He goes to a dinner party held by Louis and Lestat, David is there, as well as Madeleine. There's others who do not matter, perhaps

David asks (read: begs) Armand to work for him, and he denies

After the dinner party, the last person leaves (Madeleine), and Louis closes the gate and sets the alarm (the housekeeper is off for the night)

The next morning, the housekeeper comes in and finds Lestat dead, an apparent suicide. Louis is upset and confused, and people are acting very strange about him

They think Louis killed his husband! But he didn't :(

Daniel and Armand go to Louis, so Armand can talk to him. Armand comforts him a bit, until Louis gets a call. Its revealed that he'd already hired Raglan James as his attorney, and didn't need Armand for it

Daniel asks housekeeper about it all (im thinking the housekeeper may be Babette, either way doesn't matter) and learns that the marriage wasn't doing too good. Separate bedrooms, Louis having a possible affair. But the weird thing is? The alarm was off when Babette got there that morning...

David has Daniel thrown off the property, and Armand is here now and FREAKING OUT! Angrily agrees to lunch w David, that he may go to work there

Of all people, Louis hired that bitch Raglan James! Instead of Armand! His friend of many YEARS!

Speedrun of the next bits:

James asks Daniel to work for him, and eventually Daniel agrees, but James tries to get him to pay off a witness. He thinks Louis is guilty. Daniel and Armand fight over his working for James. Armand has lunch w David; Claudia and Madeleine meet for the first time. He really does go to work for David but HATES it. Quits. Daniel quits working for James, too. Louis shows up, hears that Armand thinks he's innocent, and him and Armand make up.

Eventually some things happen and the killer is revealed. I won't spoil it all. But the bad guy gets arrested and everything is OK.

Section 2

This AU is not based on an episode, just the premise of the show itself. It involves Louis and Lestat, with the murder of their daughter and trying to figure out who did it. There's less thought put into this one so far, but it's more important, as it's the actual canon for tL&DM

CONCLUSION

De Romanus for the People is NOT canon to the real lore, just kinda fun

If you made it to the end WOW cause I have typed far too many words here and I apologize. Passionate soul and all that

If you have lore questions feel free to ask because I am actually insane about the show + this AU

[apoptoses]

LOVE your meta about Daniel’s ND-ness having a lot to do with him letting his hunger build but imo it’s also worth considering how his years-long (a whole decade!) pattern of him begging Armand to give him his blood and Armand making him wait/work for it (“not now, lover”, “not here”, “later, first you have to listen to me”) until finally giving in and letting him drink from him might’ve played a role in it, how it turned into a thing where an “immediate” pay off wasn’t enough of a reward for Daniel. He has to let it build for it to actually feel like something he’s earned, and imo it would make sense if he’d also been conditioned by Armand to behave like this post-turning, even if it’s a matter of survival now and even if it’s not Armand’s blood anymore.

Pumped for your queens of the damned piece!!! And congrats on your nuptials bb!!! 👰 👰 🩸 xoxo DA (still very much around just super busy adulting!) ♥️

Yeah I think it can be both!! Because there is so much potential for anticipation- deciding when to hunt, where to go, how the victim will be chosen. And he's surrounded by various vampires who all have varied methods, so it's the perfect time to let the excitement build and experiment with the art of feeding himself.

But like it also makes me wonder about the mechanism of vampire thirst. Is it like human hunger, where it builds to a crescendo and then the cue just dies, and the brain forgets the body is hungry at all? Does he ever wake up with the thought that's starving, needs to feed, and then gets absorbed in something else and that hunger cue just goes numb?

And like at what point did the 'too many cooks in the kitchen' aspect of Night Island fuck with his relationship to Armand as his maker? Because typically new vampires only have one to learn from, the one who turned them. But suddenly Daniel is thrust into a milleu of much older vampires, all of whom might take him aside and teach him things. And maybe that somehow spoiled the ability to develop a routine with feeding, contributed to his erratic nature, and eroded his ties with Armand.

There's so much to think about and honestly we talk about new vampire Daniel SO LITTLE, I gotta mine this era of his life more.

PS Thank you!!! It was the best vampire goth wedding ever, we had such fun 🥹

[0junemeatcleaver0]

drabble challenge

41. Take notes, sweetheart.

marius/armand/lestat because i'm- 🫢🫢🫢 about the possibilities lately

"Take notes, sweetheart," Lestat's tone reeks of provocation, his voice low in Armand's ear, "Let me show you how it's done."

Armand cannot remember how his latest spat with Marius started, he just knows that it's been a week of contention between them--the two leaving the room when the other enters unless duty prevents it. They've endured two court meetings in each other's presence--Armand flouncing from the room as soon as permitted, leaving an irritated Marius to gather his notes alone.

But now, during Lestat's irritating weekly ball, he's being made to show face.

"What in Hell are you talking about?" Armand glares at him from the corner of his eye. Lestat is all but glowing with satisfaction--a cat with cream-soaked whiskers.

"You've been trying to get his attention all night. Don't deny it." Lestat grins, nodding slightly towards Marius, standing on the other side of the ballroom.

"Deny it I will; I've done no such thing!" Armand turns to face him fully now, chin raised defiantly.

"You have been. I've seen you. He keeps catching your eye and every time he does, your gaze softens. Like you're trying to compel him."

Lestat's words hit him like a slap to the face. It's the way he says compel--it's loaded. Makes Armand think of a time long gone, begging to be allowed to follow Lestat and Gabrielle around. It makes him bristle.

"You can't use your Gifts on him," Lestat all but purrs, "You know better than that, little brother."

Who he can use his gifts on is Lestat himself. And so Armand does--looking Lestat square in the eyes as he uses his Mind Gift to shift his features into something terrible--something monstrous. Because if Lestat has free rein to invoke the memory of their past, Armand does as well.

He's pleased when Lestat flinches back before regaining control on himself. Composure righted, Lestat straightens his spine and winks--has the audacity to actually wink at him!--before strutting across the room to be at Marius's side.

Armand doesn't even attempt to watch them surreptitiously--gazing nakedly as he watches Lestat lean into Marius's side to whisper something to him. He doesn't attempt to spy. He doesn't truly want to know what he's said when it already hurts enough to watch his Master smirk in response.

It's been so long since Armand has seen him smile.

This thing between Marius and Lestat is new--at least in its current permutation. Marius of course thinks it's been very well kept under wraps but of course the whole chateau knows about it. There's only so many times one can hear the voice of their Prince moaning his Prime Minister's name before word travels far and wide.

It drives Armand out of his mind. Marius had been obsessed with him a mere few centuries before. Lestat cannot possibly fill that void--he's too enamored with Marius for this to work in the long term. Marius needs push back, but only so much and only certain kinds. Lestat hasn't the finesse to work that thin line that separates Marius's indulgence from his impatience.

Not like Armand does.

The thought comes to his mind unbidden. That perhaps he's not just jealous, but rather excluded. That he wouldn't mind being in the room--close, touching--when they do whatever it is they do. What is it they do? Are their touches hard or soft--caresses or slaps? Do they sup from each other? What does Lestat look like when willingly in a swoon? It's been so long since he himself has been permitted to press his fangs to Marius's throat...Does he let Lestat drink from him?

Armand comes back to himself after a prolonged moment, only to realize he's been staring vacantly at the two blonds across the room. Marius's face is unreadable; Lestat is grinning in that annoying way of his.

They're both looking directly at him.

Armand watches as Marius turns on his heel and slowly, calmly, walks out of the room. Lestat's grin grows wider, brow arching.

Follow or don't.

He turns to leave, following Marius, as Armand stay still for a moment, feeling rooted to the floor.