fortunatelyhercat

[fortunatelyhercat]

NATM HEADCANON

Larry tells everyone in the Hall of Miniatures that according to New York State laws that they’ve all shared a room long enough to count as a common law marriage. He only does it because the Romans and cowboys were fighting again.

They of course take it seriously not knowing Larry didn’t mean it.

One night Jed and Octavius approach Larry about having a one night honeymoon camping trip in the Hall of North American Mammals.

(The law was removed from New York law in 1938. In the 10 states where it is still legal the couple must conduct themselves like a married couple and be of the opposite sex.)

[fortunatelyhercat]

Hurt

Warning: Accidental injury and drugs mentioned

It had been a surprise no one expected.

A deer from one of the many larger exhibits ran through the hall of miniatures.

No one was stepped luckily.

It didn’t help that a few Romans firing arrows at the best were wide of the mark with the effect of raining arrows down on the other miniatures.

Being pulled back from the large hooved feet by Octavius didn’t protect Jed from a arrow hitting a flailing arm.

Octavius guided him to under a bench as he tried to calm and comfort the cowboy.

Doctors from both exhibits were already rushing to treat patients.

“All will be well…”

Jee didn’t get a comment in as a Doctor plied a medicine bottle to his lips that soon rendered him senseless. The same Doctor snipped of the head of the arrow, pulled the wooden shaft out and began treating the wound.

The whole time Octavius held the hand of his good arm and prayed for a quick recovery.

🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹🏹

Sorry I missed writing a story for confession. I was tired and burnt out from work.

I would like to add that in the Wild West the drugs that are illegal now weren’t illegal then.

Laudanum (opium dissolved in alcohol) was common. So was heroin, coca leaves (cocaine) sometimes in alcohol and marijuana. Many of these drugs were common in medicines back then.

[fortunatelyhercat]

It would have taken another immortal to keep up with him.

so i haven't read the books but i did read the Devil's Minion chapter and this part made me laugh out loud:

[fortunatelyhercat]

NATM: Temporary Housing

Inspired by thedoormann idea of a boarding school au. It also fits in with a picture I posted. ;)

An employ during the daytime accidenally damages the wall between the Wild West and Ancient Rome dioramas so the hall is shut down. The minis are moved to temporary storage while this going on, unfortunately repairs are going to take a week or two. When Larry finds out he finds a temporary home at a thrift store, a couple wooden boxes, a doll house and some doll furniture.

With the help of his museum friends they make temporary the wooden boxes into housing for both dioramas, as long as everyone is willing to share a room. Octavius and Jedediah decide to room together as a good example to their men, at least that is what they tell Larry. He finds out the truth the next day when he opens the doll house before sunset. Shocked Larry closes it again quickly, blushing.

[fortunatelyhercat]

Having a museum that comes to life at night is great until you remember adults sneak inappropriate things into their work place all the time. Even in professional environments. Drugs, booze, adult toys, media of a sexually explicit nature and weapons.

Larry probably has to spend part of the night keeping an eye out for exhibits trying to the daytime staff's stuff.

[fortunatelyhercat]

My ancestors, watching me dump an entire stick of cinnamon, two cloves, an allspice berry, and a generous grating of nutmeg into my tea, sweetened with white sugar and loaded with cream, while I sit in my clean warm house surrounded by books, 25+ outfits for different occasions, and 6 pairs of shoes, in a building heated so well I have the windows open in mid-autumn:

Our daughter prospers. We are proud of her. She has never labored in a field but knows riches we could not have imagined.

[fortunatelyhercat]

This has not got enough attention

KP Phagnasay shared Quang Pham's backstory on his Instagram!

Came to Paris after the death of his mother (an Opera Singer at the Saigon Theater), following the money sent regularly from Paris by his father, Trinh Pham, who had left him years ago. Quang sought him out and his father offered him a chance to join the Theatre Des Vampires. Quang refused - he was strong willed and wanted nothing to do with his father, just to look him in the eye and tell him what he had left behind. He held a variety of jobs - all manners of "service" work but in-between the world wars, at 53 years of age, Quang had had enough of living and sought out his father, a vampire who still looked 30. And he finally agreed to take the Dark Gift on the condition that he be allowed to be his mother's child once more: to honor her memory, her legacy, of performing. Has a very contentious relationship with his father.

[fortunatelyhercat]

Armand says he's the artistic director of the Theatre des Vampires but in reality he's like. the entire c-suite. canonically he's doing all the bookkeeping, all the property management, and in a roundabout way making all the hiring decisions. he's the HR department too. in TVA he teaches himself accounting & modern business so that he can run the company better. calling himself artistic director is like if you were the regional manager for starbucks but you put "barista" on your resume because sometimes you make the coffee. but he puts directeur artistique on his calling cards and playbills so that he can show them to guys like Louis and be like "oui... i am just an artiste sênsitìve... all i know is cigarette and emotional volatility......... come see one of my plays monsieur"

[fortunatelyhercat]

Hoping the magic of tumbler can help me find a fan fiction that I can only remember part of (and it might only be part of 1 chapter, not 100% sure).

It's Interview with the vampire, Armand/Daniel (some past Louis/Armand) and bit I can remember is Daniel noting that Exhibitionism isn't Armand's thing, particularly remembering that he was uncomfortable with the sex with the rest of the coven (specifically Santiago) could hear.

I fling this out and hope someone recognises it

FOUND Thank you. The magic of tumbler works. It's chapter 2 of It's a Goddamn Trip by irisbleufic

https://archiveofourown.org/works/58581757/chapters/149325859#workskin

Thank you to everyone who helped 😃

[fortunatelyhercat]

“Our own culture has so much stuff that pottery has lost much of its former importance, but it is still one of the few universal possessions. Perhaps many thousands of years from now, when our culture has been buried by some apocalypse or other, archaeologists will start to dig up our remains and name us the Mug community, MC for short: we were a people who liked  our ceramics to be brightly colored, large enough to accommodate high volumes of comforting caffeinated drinks and above all dishwasher-proof.” – Bee Wilson, Consider the Fork (Basic Books 2013): 10.

[fortunatelyhercat]

Be careful, it's one of a kind! - Or: the trial script.

I took a few screenshots and put them through the editor, and there are a few interesting tidbits of information that can be gleaned from the few shots we got of the final trial script:

Supposedly the trial was written by the "Vampire Santiago", and the "Vampire Samuel Barclay". With... "additions made" by the "Vampire Lestat de Lioncourt".

Now the last part is particularly interesting, because as we see in the screenshots we get, that there are quite a few "additions" that Armand makes, but he is not listed there.

We now have (additional) confirmation by Assad (at the SDCC 2024 panel) that Armand was the one who orchestrated Claudia's / their deaths, so let's keep that in mind here. Especially since he is not listed.

"Our red curtain. Our spotlight. Santiago acting as master of ceremonies. But this is the only part of the play that will mimic our normal fare. That and our finale."

There's several aspects to this.

We know that - at least in Armand's tale - Santiago "took over". "Master of ceremonies." But only acting, not actually being. The "mimic our normal fare" both hints at this being not what they normally do, and, given the mock aspect of the trial - it acknowledges the farce it is. It is not a play, not a trial, but something in between, framed as neither, while implementing both.

Santiago's entry speech. With an interesting annotation by Armand: "You are standing half in and half out of your light."

Only, Santiago isn't actually standing in and out of the light. (At least in the version we got to see.)

Now, those who know the books know that the force of Lestat's personality is often called a "light", and not always in a wholly positive manner.

For example there is this comment by Nicolas, which refers to it:

And for every aspect of our proposed damnation you found exuberance, and there was no end to your enthusiasm and the passion coming out of you-and the light, always the light. And in exact proportion to the light coming out of you, there was the darkness in me! Every exuberance piercing me and creating its exact proportion of darkness and despair!

The lights of the stage obviously put them all into focus, too, something that was forbidden before Lestat came and destroyed the old ways. The "walking in the places of light" was one of the things the Children of Darkness accused Lestat of when he encountered them.

I think the comment there is a kind-of-meta comment, of Armand being half in shadow hand half in light. There is a choice here, for light or darkness.

Here, he chooses darkness.

Some things we haven't heard in the episode:

"If the prosecution's evidence convinces you to condemn those HERETICS for the heinous trampling of the vampire laws we will carry out our sentence before your very eyes as only we at the Théâtre des Vampires know how: slowly, inventively, gruesomely."

And then, this lovely stage direction 💀:

"Agency: If and when Claudia or Louis speak, (drive) them together, close their throats, (Santia)go will address it with the audience, as per the below:"

"I don't need to hear from you..."

That part we heard in the trial.

Apart from the stage directions and the part we didn't hear Armand's notes are also interesting once more: "Remember to comment...." and something starting with "Fi"... "Fine" - or "Find their thoughts" (could fit I think). Because this note, even largely unreadable proves once more that Armand was fully in on what they did to Louis and Claudia there. Made sure that the blows... would land.

This one. This one we didn't get to hear! (The part after "Tik Tok")

Santiago reading from her diary: "He soaks in the light from everyone around him, making it all about Lestat. This is most definitely about you and your death."

Light reference again! (See the quote above.)

And (accompanied by Armand's notes to have Santiago hand the diary to the audience):

"I know she was your favorite. I know she was your baby lu. But she had us all fooled. She's the best actor of all of us. She lies so sweetly, doesn't she. But look closer. When the mask falls away, she's a monster."

Oof. When the mask falls away... Pot to kettle.

"I can't hear you." - say it louder.... Lestat.

And then: Lestat's entrance. Being seated in an especially prepared "Bergere en cabriolet".

And here we have another "I can't hear you! Let me f...". It's the counterpart to the blend-over (below), another read from Claudia's diary there, after Lestat talks about loneliness and Louis "abandoning him". (Btw, I don't buy this shift to blame to Louis and Louis "hunting" Lestat for one second, for the record^^. I think that was all very much BS for the trial, in order to make Louis seem guilty to the audience.)

Armand's comment (on Lestat's first lines) makes it seem as if Lestat was less than enthusiastic - or weak. Now, I said before, I think there's quite enough evidence to suggest that the "real trial" might have gone a bit more like in the book, with Lestat mostly out of his mind and his mind meddled with as well (see below).

But the counterpart to the blend-over is actually the most interesting one, imho:

(This is a hard one to see, it's only seen in blend-over and Louis' hand moves across it before the scene fades to Armand scribbling down the note!)

"It This is too early for Lestat to acknowledg[e...]"

This is too early for Lestat to acknowledge. Louis and Claudia, would be my guess. This direction is proof that Armand made directions for Lestat especially as well. It's the only one (we have so far) where he actually writes the name.

Armand knew he could make this direction. And he made it.

Given Lestat and their history this, for me, is proof, that Lestat's mind has been meddled with as well, at times at least. Because there is no way that Lestat would have followed Armand's directions there, imho. Would not have done something, especially in that moment, where they set up the execution.

Yes, Sam is on record saying that Lestat played along with the play itself so he could get into the audience's heads, and therefore make it easier for him to make them shift Louis' sentence to "banishment" (that's where the "additions" come from, in all likelihood), but there, at the point of judgement and the execution being set up he does not look at Claudia (but he does look at her afterwards!), he's staring straight ahead, swaying on his feet.

Taken out of the equation, so to speak.

(That's an extra shot btw, extra shots always carry meaning.)

So.

Quite the script. -.-

Clear stage directions for Santiago, Lestat, and the other coven members should Louis and Claudia try to do something.

Now. I know there have been a lot of posts about Armand "master mind" or "villain" or victim, or what not. And I am glad that Assad has been so very clear on that just recently, though all of it is already given with what the show gave us, imho.

Armand did plan the trial. Did master-mind it. Did pretend. Did direct. Did lie.

He orchestrated their deaths.

And Lestat interfered with Louis' death. At the very least.

And.. Armand continued to betray Louis. For 77 years.

I said it before, I don't quite buy the tower scene, I expect it to get more context, at the very least.

It will be very interesting to see if they return to the trial next season, and in what capacity.

Because all the "hints" are, all the evidence is there already.

[fortunatelyhercat]

"just as I did, in 1983."

you'd never know my favourite parts of the show are the fucked up insane bits when my first instinct is to draw the cheesiest thing imaginable

[fortunatelyhercat]

After the first night, I thought I would die of this thirst. After the second, I thought I would perish screaming. After the third, I only dreamed of it in weeping and in desperation, licking at my own blood tears on my fingertips. After six nights of this when I could bear the thirst no longer, they brought a struggling victim to me.

At the end of seven more nights, when I was starved to the point where even the scent of the blood didn't rouse me, they laid the victim-a small boy child of the streets crying for pity-directly in my arms.

Some twenty weeks were passed in this misery. I didn't even believe anymore that the bright and fantastical world of Venice had ever existed. And I knew my Master was dead. I knew it. I knew that all I loved was dead. I was dead.

2X08 "AND THAT'S THE END OF IT. THERE'S NOTHING ELSE." || The Vampire Armand

[fortunatelyhercat]

For me it still doesn't make sense how they seemed to have changed Armand's motivations regarding the trial. That he wanted both Claudia and Louis dead, choose the coven, but afterwards stepped aside and let Louis destroy the coven? He could have stopped Louis or warned the coven. So then he suddenly wants to have Louis again? What if he knew Lestat was going to save Louis on stage and that was part of his plan? That maybe the trial was a test to see if Louis would be capable of letting Lestat go? And when he knew Louis blamed Lestat, he used him to get rid of his coven and felt secure enough to enter into a companionship with him. Any theories along these lines out there? Thank you in advance!

Hmmmm... no, I don't quite see that, sorry. Because Armand could read Louis' mind - and he would have known that Louis entered the relationship out of spite. And so the test would have failed.

The thing is, that (if we take the reveal at the end as given), then the "desire" to kill Louis changed with Lestat's interference.

Because Lestat wasn't there for revenge. He wanted to save them, if possible. Armand had made up his mind (apparently) to let the trial run course, which in and by itself was also a punishment for Lestat (for something that will come into play in s3).

Lestat refused to play the game as Armand intended. He changed the game.

That changed the game for Armand as well.

I have stated that I think Armand might have been "shamed" into saving Louis by Lestat's action, but there is also the aspect of realizing that what Armand wanted also, namely punish Lestat, was now possible in a different way.

IF the tower scene happened like that (and that is a big if), then I have my theories why Lestat did not say anything. I'm currently writing them into a fic.

But for Armand the whole dynamic changed with that interference to the plan, the script.

I am not sure if he trusted Louis as much as accepted that... change.

And tried to make the best of it.

[fortunatelyhercat]

its so weird i think the antoinette thing unintentionally led ppl to think it was more than it was cause like in those after episode things, rolin doesn't even talk about her until the finale when she is used as a plot twist? the longevity of it is probably why ppl suspect it might be more than it is but to me that just proves the opposite cause why would he keep hanging onto louis if he was remotely satisfied with antoinette? he's more consistently with her for over a decade when louis is ignoring him and during their 6yr break up, she's totally down to be a vampire, and does whatever he wants w/o question. in every way, she's a totally more suitable companion for him (she's kind of just a female version of him - blonde, into music, a bit needy/desperate for love) and should in theory make him much happier than louis who is often closed off and distant emotionally.

“….the longevity of it is probably why ppl suspect it might be more than it is….”

That is the entire crux of the Antoinette debate. Antoinette is a direct result of Louis no longer feeding on humans. The conversation about Louis being ashamed of his vampirism happens simultaneously with Lestat meeting Antoinette. Louis rejects feeding, thereby he’s also rejecting Lestat. Lestat brings her back to the house, but he’s toying with her. Even Louis was nonchalant with “She burn quick?” It indicated this was a regular thing for Lestat. He was flaunting her at that point, purposefully trying to rile Louis into jealousy, because he was trying to goad Louis into feeding. He wanted Louis to kill her. It would get Louis to feed, but also prove his love to Lestat. Notice how bitter he was when Louis leaves, and Lestat snidely asks “Is the animal market still open?” In other words, Lestat had Louis a meal right there on a silver platter. Louis being Louis though, the little scheme was never going to work.

When Lestat tells Louis that Antoinette was tedious, he meant that. I also believe he broke things off with her, because he thought he was losing Louis after Louis calls his bluff with Jonah. The “I heard your hearts dancing!” scene further demonstrated Lestat was afraid of Louis leaving him for someone else, but then he immediately jumps to Louis not feeding anymore. Why bring up Louis’ lack of feeding during that particular conversation? It’s because that was actually the heart of the issue. It goes back to how Lestat lost Nicki. The show hasn’t truly touched on it yet, but Louis has the vampire equivalent of an eating disorder. One of the side effects of vampire starvation is madness. Lestat’s fear of losing Louis is intertwined with both losing him to another person and losing him to madness. I’m really hoping the writers show the audience exactly what Lestat was witnessing in all those years of Louis not feeding. It’s way more detrimental than Louis has told at this point.

In Episode 4, they were happy. We saw Louis giving Lestat love and attention. Then the Charlie incident happened. This is when, I believe, Lestat started seeing Antoinette again. Louis was preoccupied with Claudia. So Lestat goes to Antoinette for one, the reassurance and affection Louis wasn’t giving him anymore. And two, he vents to her. We don’t discover this until Episode 6 when Lestat storms out during the chess scene. It shows him in bed, and what is he doing? He’s venting about Claudia and Louis. He’s completely disinterested in Antoinette and even tells her “That’s why I need you. You fortify me against them.” That is her purpose to Lestat. She was a tool he used for his own selfish needs. It also didn’t hurt matters that she genuinely loved Lestat. Lestat, because he could read her thoughts, knew this. He knew he was loved with her. The problem was she wasn’t Louis. Even in Episode 5 when it shows Antoinette outside waiting on Lestat, his reaction shows he’s completely apathetic about her. He looks hurt. He turns to Louis, who is looking haggard in the bed, and pleads with him to pay him any kind of attention. Louis barely glances at him, and Lestat flippantly grabs his hat to angrily meet Antoinette. Just think about that. He left angry, because he was going to be with Antoinette. He wanted Louis.

Another telltale demonstration is, again, the hotel scene when Lestat shows visible disgust over Antoinette. He tolerates her kisses, mocks her dreams, and literally cringes away from her missing finger. His voice is thick when he says “That’s what gloves are for.” He’s on the edge of a breakdown right then. He doesn’t heal her bite wounds when that was the first thing he did for Louis. Compare that to the very next scene of sex with Louis. The complete reverence and worshipful kisses he’s showering all over Louis. He literally kisses Louis’ heart. Compare the spiteful, half-assed “I love you, too” to Antoinette with the tender, emotional “I love you” to Louis in the park. There is no comparison. Lestat thought it was magnificent when Claudia stomped her head. Can you imagine Lestat thinking it was magnificent if someone stomped Louis’ head? Absolutely not. Lestat would have killed her in an instant if Louis asked for it. He waited twenty years to turn her, and he only did that so she could hear Louis’ and Claudia’s thoughts.

This moment managed to convey the true magnitude of Lestat’s feelings for Louis with one glance. “It’s different. I don’t have feelings for her.” His voice barely breaks on “her”, and he fixes Louis with this pointed, anguished gaze. His feelings aren’t with her. His feelings are with Louis, and the depth of that is proven with just one look. Antoinette served as a Loustat plot device. Nothing more.

[fortunatelyhercat]

Hot take: The trial was Armand’s idea

Lemme explain (long thread):

1. There’s no way on Earth he didn’t hear the thoughts and discussions of the coven. Him being in love is just another reason why he’d listen to them 24/7.

1.b. No way he couldn’t hear Santiago’s thoughts while rehearsing the play. Honey doesn’t own a private channel for the everyone to hear but Armand.

2. Of course he could’ve stopped the trial anytime the same way he did at the restaurant, but he did not.

3. We never saw the « choice » that was given to him. Was it a Maitre swap with Santiago ? And in exchange -he- could’ve set up the trial so he…

4. Could get rid of Claudia once and for all and make sure she wouldn’t be a threat after Lestat’s attempted murder.

5. About Lestat’s: who’s been seen in episode 5 calling him telepathically through distances ? Right, I don’t think the members of the coven were powerful enough to cross an entire ocean.

6. Armand is the only one who knows EVERYTHING about what happened in New Orleans, I doubt the coven would have so many details about what happened, to the point of making an entire animated movie just from Lestat’s recalling, who’s constantly interrupting the trial to deny what’s being said, nor from Claudia’s gossiping in her diary (remember she wasn’t writing anything down, it was mutiny, she couldn’t keep any trace of what they were preparing. That’s why Antoinette was useful to Lestat).

7. Do you have any idea how BIG the lense of Meudon’s observatory is ? It’s HUGE. There’s no way they’d have stolen all that crap and Armand wouldn’t have noticed. Even if he lived with Louis by then.

8. How the fuck didn’t anybody notice Claudia’s diaries missing ? ‘Cause Armand knew about them and brought them back home to ease any suspicion.

9. Armand knew the coven was aware of Louis and Claudia’s situation at the very least when he caught Santiago lurking on them, so he knew they’d act upon it.

10. I don’t believe for a single second Armand wiped Louis’s memory of San Francisco but left him the entire clear HD memories of the day he lost his beloved sister. The trial is a lie.

11. No better way to make Louis hate Lestat than making him responsible for Claudia’s death. Louis wouldn’t have anyone else to go to but Armand.

11.b. To be fair Lestat didn’t seem to appreciate much what was going on either, so, might have been Armand’s revenge over Lestat as well.

12. Armand’s gonna save Louis from the coffin, couldn’t get there if the coven didn’t let him. Why would they let him roam free if they didn’t heave an agreement ? And if they didn’t, how would Armand be powerful enough to fight them then and not before the killing ? Why would he react only AFTER the killing if he was able to burn the coven whenever he wanted ?

Bonus point: they’re all stage actors AND vampires. So Santiago would never be such a bad actor as to genuinely stutter in front of the audience, nor agitate himself to cut the movie, he’d say so telepathically.

It’s all make believe so they -all- get what they want out of that trial.

[fortunatelyhercat]

Santiago and his relationship with Armand

OK so I actually wrote most of this as tags to a post that compared Santiago mocking Louis in the restaurant with Louis mocking Santiago after he set the theatre on fire, but I realized I wanted to expand on the idea.

Basically, I had always interpreted Santiago's hatred of Louis as jealousy over him 'stealing' Armand (both in the book and in the show). An interview with Ben Daniels confirmed that while Santiago was initially written as straight, Ben felt the only way Santiago would so viciously hate Louis was if he was in love with Armand. However, in the same interview he also said that Santiago had been in love with his maker, and his jealousy of Louis and conflict over Armand killing his maker made him want to destroy Louis.

After reading this, I was more than a little confused: if Santiago loved his maker, how could he fall in love with Armand?

Then I saw the gifset and was reminded of this moment-

Louis mocks Santiago about his maker's disdain for him, and how his maker abandoned him shortly after he turned him. Santiago loved his maker, but his maker did not love him back.

Now, we aren't given any timeline of events in terms of when Santiago is made, when he joins the Coven and when Armand kills his maker, but I think it's safe to assume it all happens not long after he was turned. So we have fledgling Santiago, bitterly in love with a maker who disdains him, meeting the beautiful and powerful Armand. Armand welcomes him into the Coven, gives him the opportunity to return to his theatrical career, and kills the maker that wounded Santiago's pride and heart. From that perspective, Armand must have seemed like an avenging angel to Santiago- of course he'd fall in love.

For years, Santiago forges his way up the ranks of the Coven, serving Armand and becoming his right hand man and star of the show. The other vampires of the coven practically throw themselves at him, some of the women literally fighting each other over him...but his heart belongs to Armand.

Then Louis and Claudia come into town, and Armand's attention leaves him for this beautiful man that Santiago can't help feeling attracted to too. And Armand lets this newcomer do pretty much whatever he wants, making the execution of Santiago's maker suddenly seem a lot less fair... yet Armand is still the one responsible for pretty much all the opportunities and good things in Santiago's life, and he's still the one Santiago loves and wants above all others.

Just look at his reaction to seeing Armand's photo in Louis' apartment-

There's no anger there, no hate. He's in love. And he wants Armand back.

Santiago must've been thrilled when Armand seemingly changed his mind about Louis and Claudia and agreed to punish them for their "crimes". I suspect, though this is only hinted at in the show, that after the trial, Armand regrets choosing the coven and allows himself to be overthrown by Santiago (Celeste is overheard by Louis saying that Armand was overthrown and there's no reason to doubt her at this point). Now Santiago has (he thinks) everything he wants: leadership of the coven, his rival dead, and Armand seemingly broken and at his mercy. When we see him watching Armand bow his head to him and slip into his coffin, Santiago stares at him with naked hunger, completely ignoring Celeste hanging off his arm.

He thinks it's only a matter of time before Armand will become his lover once more. Instead, Armand frees Louis and allows him to destroy Santiago's world.