#and that's only from like. since November?

[cheerleaderman]

Iris Valor

Twst - The Mortal potion (Hercules)

Template by @/ai-kan1

An Expressive person who seems to have not lost their childhood wonder with this and his intelligence helping create interesting inventions. Being taken in by S.T.Y.X at a young age they have grown close to the Shrouds seeing them as his own family but life before S.T.Y.X is something they rarely talk about.

Iris is a mischievous one and considered bit of an odd ball of Ignihyde due to being way more social than others in the drom. Despite that Iris is someone with survivors guilt due to what happened to his family and doesn’t feel like he can really talk about private matters given that his main form of communication is his tablet. Living in S.T.Y.X they think someone could hack into his tablet or could take whatever he wrote down. This makes him have trouble explaining negative emotions

Highly observant paired with his good memory makes him excel with book smarts but street smarts are pretty lacking.

Iris is mute so he communicates from a tablet, writing or sign language (In the game sense the voice would be coming out of the tablet, what he’s thinking/signing, If Iris is writing the other person will be reading what he wrote)

Basic info

Age: 17

He/ they

Height: 166 cm

Birthday: November 14

Voice claim: Eng- Shikanoin Heizou -Genshin impact JP- Manjiro sano - Tokyo revengers

Hometown: Island of Woe

Class: 2-D

Dominant hand: Left

Nickname: Axolotl(Floyd) | Monsieur observateur (Rook) | super villain (Idia) | Rainbow/rain (Friends)| Ortho only calls him just by his first name | Ivy (Ms. Shroud / Elara ) | PinkPoisonBubs - Username | short cake- Fallon

Favorite food: Burgers, Ube Cheesecake, slushies, mini waffle cones filled with chocolate

Like/hobbies: tinkering with machines , mystery/stealth games, collecting items (Favs fun earrings,stickers, figurines ), lab coats, sheep, trying new things

Dislike: Needles, sour candy, broccoli,

Family: Travis ( Father-Deceased ) , Violet ( Mother- ????), Shroud Family

Best subject: Ancient Magic

Talent: Deciphering Ancient text, typing/writing quickly without making mistakes

Club: Film research 

Unique magic: Every Last Drop

Can drain the life energy out of any living thing he touches. When in use Iris will see a bottle slowly draining than represents how much energy is left in that person. Once it’s completely empty the person will die but If Not even if there’s a single drop left said person will feel extremely tired and weak depending how much was drained recovery is also dependent on this.If Iris is upset he can speed up the process.

Iris hasn’t used their UM since he was 8

Extra info

Very much so jack of all trades loving to learn new things.

Iris always has some kind of snacks on them which Floyd will probably take if in the mood

Knows many languages and learned Ancient magic/Text from his mother before her disappearance

One of his friends is from Pomefiore is named Yvonne and she basically just claimed them on site. She does his nails using them as a guinea pig for new designs but Iris likes them so doesn’t really care as long as she keeps them short.

Started taking an interest in machines while look at some of Idia’s old blue prints and was given some of the unfinished or failed projects to tinker with. When Ms. Shroud learned about this she hoped on the opportunity to teach them more.

Their table was broken by people in an attempt to bully them during his first year and Iris got incredibly sad because the Shroud parents gifted it to him for getting into NRC. The others were pissed hearing what had happened but first they repaired the table with a bunch of new upgrades.

Has met Og!Ortho and was pretty confused when Idia presented humanoid Ortho. Honestly he was pretty terrified at first but Elara told him that the Ortho were 2 different people.

Iris isn’t afraid of needles just because of what happened to his father but also getting blood taken from him

Listens in to gossip but not one to go around saying things.

Fallon is like his non official girlfriend ( everyone thinks they’re already dating)

Backstory

Iris was born into a similar research organization like S.T.Y.X. His father was teacher for the other kids and his mother studied in ancient magic.

When Iris was 5 he developed his unique magic while holding a plant seeing some kind of bottle that was draining. When the plant ultimately whittled away he was devastated crying to his parents about what happened. They were shocked and did their best to help Iris understand his magic given that their both magic less. During that time Iris caught the interest of the doctor who is in a different part of the facility offering to study Iris abilities. The parents refused getting a weird feeling from said doctor.

Over the next 3 years the doctor would send people to hover around Iris. The random staff trying to get to know him. They would also unfortunately use the fact Iris is mute to not be able to yell for help. This started to make them grow more and more scared of leaving their parents side. During that time their mother disappeared after going on a work trip leaving just Iris and his dad.

Travis’ Death

A bit after Iris mother’s disappearance , Travis decided to speed that it was time for him and Iris to leave. The doctor was going to do anything to take his son. But the doctor had to plan too.

When they were leaving Iris saw a figure

The doctor stabbed his father with some needle and tried to drag him away. He used his unique magic, he had to get away from that man. Iris just wanted to weaken the man but from the distress he didn’t pay attention to the bottle draining quickly. Once the doctor let go he ran back to his father

With his father what ever the doctor injected into had his dad in pain. They tried to get to the place where they needed to go but Father couldn’t make it. The pain was unbearable , he was coughing up blood and he couldn’t move anymore so Iris used his unique magic to see if his dad could survive. The bottle was less than half full and was draining without Iris even doing anything.

“ It’s not your fault Iris” his father said struggling to embrace his son. “ remember none of this happened because of you, you’re the most precious person to us”. As the bottle kept draining Iris decided to use he UM so that his father wouldn’t have to die in pain.

S.T.Y.X

On the day they were planning to leave S.T.Y.X came as they found disturbing evidence that was happening. During this Iris was found crying clutching on to his father.

The Staff couldn’t get through to Iris mainly due to rough way he was bought there and getting his stuff taken. He refused to do anything crying over his family until Mrs. Shroud came back due to her reminding him of his mother Iris slowly started to communicate.

Fortunately she gave back most of his possessions

Gallery

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[hikariyaps]

coffee dates

word count ☆ 1.3k pairing ☆ megumi x fem!reader [college au] content ☆ pure fluff a/n ☆ i'm baaaaaaaackk

megumi fushiguro needed coffee right now. it was a cold, foggy morning in the middle of november. it was six and he was awake, thanks to his stupid alarm that he forgot to disable the night before. since he was already awake, he figured why go back to sleep? after all, a little extra studying wouldn't hurt.

currently, he's fighting to keep his eyes open, all bundled up in a warm sweater and scarf, walking to the on campus café. apparently, yuji managed to blow up the coffee machine in the boy's dorm common rooms. only god knows how it is always that imbecile that manages to do things like this.

so here he was trekking throught the biting wind, bag on his shoulder, hands in his pockets because his best friend blew up his source of sustenance.

the café is warm and smells strongly of coffee and butter, it's comforting. he sighs stepping inside. he just hopes that the barista knows how to make coffee properly. ever since the machine blew up, he's been here a few times in the morning. every single time the barista has been sleep deprived. and every single time the barista has messed up his coffee.

he takes his usual place near the window and sets all his study material up. the place is quiet, save for the mellow music playing softly from the speakers. he walks over to the counter, expecting to see the usual barista's face.

but there you were. all soft and glowy and awake. he needs a moment to process this. 'hi, what can i get for you today?' you ask, voice like honey, a polite but genuine smile on you face, booting up the computer to punch in his order. it takes a few seconds for his brain cells to recover before he answers.

'i'll have a large black coffee and a croissant, please.' 'okay, that'll be 700 yen.' you say, typing the order into the ancient looking computer.

megumi pays and takes a seat, he was supposed to be studying but his eyes were on you. you looked like an angel, or maybe that was just his foggy brain. but something about you didn't let him take his eyes off of you. he watches as you make his coffee and warm up his croissant. and instead of calling him to the counter, you bring his order over to where he was sitting.

he mumbles out an awkward thanks and his eyes flit back to his laptop screen. as soon as you were gone though, he immeadiately went back to observing you. the coffee was immaculate, just the way he liked it. most people assume its very easy to make a black coffee, but he was very specific and this might be one of the best coffees he's ever had.

pretty soon, he became a regular at the cafe, started dropping in more than once a day, hoping to catch you, so he could have the coffee you make again, of course. funny thing is, you were always there. he doesn't know your name, you don't wear a nametag. but he told you his and he loves the way it sounds when you say it. you talk to him more than the other customers since he's been coming here a month.

most people don't usually come here so often, so you were pretty excited about him. he was very polite, really pretty and honestly, very cute. he might seem quiet, but he had the prettiest smile on his face whenever you talked to him.

yuji and nobara know about you. they found out through stalking him when he started leaving immeadiately after class to visit the café before closing time. it was pretty obvious that he found you pretty, his gaze said it all. he did not hear the end of it once he came back to the dorms.

they became regulars at the café too. mostly for the purpose of gathering information for megumi. his love life was more than just dry, it was like the afternoon in the sahara. they were more than happy to stalk- get to know a girl he finally liked.

it wasn't through them he heard your name though. it was a sunday, early january. the café was not really empty, but not really full either. he hears someone call out a name, and then you respond and disappear into the back. he repeats your name multiple times softly under his breath, committing it to memory. not like he could ever forget it.

it isn't until february, that something happens between you both. you were sick of just looking at him work and making small talk. for once, you actually wanted more.

so when megumi's waiting for his coffee to go, you decide to woman up and ask him.

'so, do you have a valentine?' you ask, tone totally conversational, nonchalant if you would, while making his coffee. which was a stark comparision to how fast your heart was beating.

he hums. 'nah, i have my eye on someone but they haven't asked' he replies, thankful that your back was turned.

'who?' you ask, and he swears he can hear disappointment in your voice.

'you.' he says, the word slipping out before he could decide whether it should be said or not.

you on the other hand have just gone though the five stages of grief and then were quite pleasently surprised, celebrating inside your head while crying invisible tears.

you hide it quite well as you hand him his coffee and say 'my number's on the recepit. text me later?'

and he nods, small smile splaying on his lips. he texts you as soon as he steps out the café and you reply immeadiately.

you guys text each other very frequently and he's way easier to tak to on text. you get to know a lot more about him and you know this isn't just some silly little crush. you wanted him to be yours. and megumi feels the same way.

he takes you out on valentine's. it isn't anything too fancy but you know its genuine. its a small picnic, with your favourite foods. you're surprised that he remembers.

he remembers a lot of things, especially when it comes to you. he remembers your prefrences, your favourite brands, your schedule. he starts showing up to pick you after classes to drop you off to the café. at this point, both of you knew you had pretty strong feelings for each other, but there was no label for you guys.

not until you came over to his dorm for the first time. it'd been a year since you guys first met. you bring over hot chocolate and pastries that you made. there, lying on his bed, comfortably warm and feeling particularly fuzzy, he says it.

'i love you,' he whispers, soft and careful. he was acting as though it was a fragile, tangible thing that would shatter if not treated right. he was hoping you wouldn't break it, those three words symbolized his heart.

you didn't break it, instead you leaned over and presses your lips to his in a chaste kiss.

'i love you too,' you whisper back, forehead resting against his forehead.

you lay in the silence holding each other for a minute. until yuji and nobara start howling from the other room. 'I THINK FUSHIGURO FINALLY SCORED A GIRLFRIEND!' 'YEAH NO SHIT SHERLOCK, THEY SAID THE L WORD!' you wondered if his room was bugged.

and here you both were now six years later, on a coffee date, to the same café, reminiscing and reminding each other how much you loved each other, when he pulls out a ring and asks you to be his forever.

you say yes, of course.

and that's how megumi fushiguro got the love of his life, also known as his personal coffee maker.

©hikariyaps2025

[peelingpaint-heavyheart]

im such a slut for pink seonghwa, and him looking like that in that one ghp2 concept photo had me feral LIKE THE BODY CHAINS???? HELLO?? youre gonna ignore how this was in my drafts since those concept photos released back in like november

tags: dom! reader x sub! hwa, grinding, dirty talk, cowgirl, creampie, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it), pet names (baby, toy) if i missed anything let me know, this thing isnt beta read so...

warning~~ it is alluded that hwa and reader were drinking before hooking up but not to the point of being drunk, just tipsy yk? but still, know your boundaries and as always, don't like don't read!

~ 2.0k words (not proofread)

--

when seonghwa was invited to this party tonight, he would have never have bet that he would end up like this, let alone with his best friend's sister. you two barely knew each other, only catching glimpses of the other when seonghwa was over to hang out with your brother. but one thing you noticed, every moment you saw seonghwa, he always looked too good to be real.

and when you caught sight of him downstairs in that low cut black crop top and silver body chains catching the strobe lights, you couldnt allow yourself to miss the opportunity. you had quickly shot the rest of your drink back before abandoning your red solo cup and approached him through the crowded living room.

and somehow between your mutual fumbled flirting (and slight intoxication) you managed to drag him upstairs to the nearest empty bedroom, pushing him down on the bed as you crawled between his legs. wandering hands exploring every surface they could reach while you made yourself at home nestled beneath his sharp jaw, tongue laving over his hot honey skin. the sounds that those actions withdrew from him only served to turn you on, spurring you on to hear more and more, pushing him to the limits of pleasure.

now the bass was booming downstairs but it was nothing but a muffled afterthought as you had seonghwa below you, panting hard as you grind over his stomach. your slit caught the glinting silver of his body chains as you moved your hips in their slow, smooth rhythm, a trail of slick marking his stomach down to his lower abdomen.

the sight of seonghwa was like witnessing art being created in real time, his head laying back against the pillow, cotton candy pink hair splayed around him and his bangs sticking to his forehead in sweaty clumps. his pretty glossy lips were caught between his teeth to keep his voice down and he was fighting to keep his eyes trained on you as you moved above him. his fingers were dug into your hips, not guiding you but simply holding on, for reassurance you were really his in this moment.

"y-y/n~" seonghwa whined, resisting with what little willpower he had left not to buck his hips, "please, stop teasing."

you smiled wickedly from above him, purposefully pressing down harder as you slid down his abdomen. you moan without restraint as the chains disappearing below his v-line into his pants caught your clit, pleasure shooting through your veins. you slide a bit lower than usual, your ass meeting his neglected erection still restrained in his pants, and the moan that falls from his lips is the most sinful music you've ever heard.

"pretty baby, can't take it?" you ask with faux sweetness, your movements unrelenting. seonghwa tried to focus on you, bless his heart, but his fucked out gaze was barely following yours.

"can't, y/n, really can't," he said desperately, pulling your hips down further to rest your bare cunt over his erection, uncaring for how your juices were ruining his pants. with how hard he was right now, he was sure his pants would've been ruined by his precum already with how he was surely leaking through his boxers.

you chuckled, entertaining his shortlived control. you both knew he wasn't leading in this situation but you won't punish him for this just yet. "you can't take this but you think you can handle being inside me?"

seonghwa seemed to struggle for an answer, his hips twitching with need below you. "well... i just... can't y/n, please no more. i need it." and you believed him, with how well he had been holding back, listening to you when you first told him not to explore, only hold, his shining round eyes dilated with lust, the way his nails were digging into the skin of your hips. you wouldn't be surprised to find little crescents there tomorrow morning.

"tell you what," you suggest playfully, pressing down on his bulge to taunt him as you speak, "you can be inside on the condition that i tell you when to cum."

seonghwa's entire face lit up as if you had just gifted him the moon and the stars. he nodded frantically, holding your hips down to maintain the pressure over his cock he'd been craving. "anything, i swear," he agreed breathlessly, his body shaking with anticipation of finally feeling your heat, "i'll do it."

you smirk, leaning down to ghost kisses down the unmarked column of his neck, his back arching up as your hands worked on pulling his pants down. you weren't even bothered to properly undo his belt, loosening it enough to allow you to free his desperate cock. you lift your hips up, staving off any contact in favour of teasing him even more.

"such a good toy, agreeing so quickly." your hand found the zipper of his crop top, pulling it down the rest of the way to the reveal the expanse of his chest to you. it was only fair you got to see as much of him as he did of you, the only difference was you got to touch, to savour it.

as the black fabric fell apart from his body, you subconsciously licked your lips, admiring his slim yet broad figure. your hands made their new home on his searing skin, sliding up his ribs before planting on his shoulders. you adjusted yourself, his fat tip intentionally catching your folds making him groan.

receiving the reaction you were looking for, you finally go down on him, sinking down on his cock smoothly until you were comfortably sitting on him. if someone didnt know any better, they couldve mistaken it for you sitting in his lap. your tight walls fluttered around his aching cock, making him bite his lip to resist moving inside you.

"please can i move? let me move," seonghwa pleaded, practically trembling from how he was holding back. you leaned forward, kissing the corner of his lips, your tone full of condescension as you shushed him.

"i said you could be inside, not move. just relax and take it." you experimentally rolled your hips, getting the feeling for him inside you and his cock twitched, a breathy "fuck" falling from his lips.

seonghwa was sensitive, that much you knew, but it still didn't prepare you for the purely pathetic moan that echoed as you start to bounce on him. its raw and needy and his hands tightened around your hips as he desperately held onto the remains of his conscious thought lest he started bucking into you against your command.

your teeth bite down momentarily on his earlobe before leaving just as quickly for you to place wet kisses along his sharp jaw. the delicious drag of your walls around seonghwa's thick cock further pushed any rationality from his mind, surrendering his body for your use. if anyone had seen the two of you downstairs, they would've assumed that you would be the one gasping for air and begging to cum, not the other way around.

"more, more," he whined, already sounding thoroughly wrecked. you lick over the most recent kiss you planted on him, making him shiver beneath you.

"relax, baby. you're getting impatient." you ducked back down to his neck and found purchase in the unmarked honey skin. you take him slow and deep, rolling your hips against his so he could feel every inch of himself against every inch of you. when you suck a hickey onto his neck, seonghwa throbbed, the sweetness of release a fog behind his eyes he couldn't quite dispel. it was something in your mean tone, coupled with the neverending teasing, you dangling his pleasure just above his head, out of reach, that turned him on so much.

you recognised the thick cloud of lust in his eyes as he attempted to stay still, to continue letting you use him as you desired. he wanted to be good for you, and by god was he trying his best to please you. and you believe begging and obedience should never be left unrewarded.

"i'll let you cum inside... you can fill me up, can't you, baby?" you say sweetly, the former sharpness melting away as you wantd to push seonghwa over the edge. if he was so pretty downstairs getting riled up by your teasing, and so gorgeous while you played with him now, surely he must look stunning, angelic even, if you were to made him cum. you wouldn't miss the opportunity for the world.

seonghwa's eyes fell closed as he could just almost taste the sensation he was chasing as you started bouncing on him faster. oh, what he wouldn't give to feel your walls milk him dry as he painted your insides white, his load dripping between your thighs. he wanted to see you full of him, the mixture of your cum and his stuffing you to the brim and no doubt would make your lower belly bulge. the fantasy was driving him insane as he was almost there, his newly awakened dream seconds from becoming reality, if only you would just let him.

this denial, this control you had over him, it thrilled seonghwa knowing you decided whether he could cum, or leave with the most painful boner he's ever had. if you so wished, maybe he'd truly discover the pain of blue balls and have the coldest shower of his life while jerking himself off.

even the thought of getting himself off after you denied him felt wrong, a betrayal even if you weren't present. if you hadn't let him cum, then what right did he have to go against your word even after the encounter was over?

"i-i can, i will! just please let me, i'll show you, i need to," seonghwa begged, teetering so close to the edge he couldn't restrain himself anymore from bucking into you. still, there was that one thread that held him together, one he craved to destroy so that he may lose himself in you completely. that one thread that only you could snap as you had him wrapped around your finger while you were wrapped around his dick.

your lips curled up into a smirk as you completely drank in his desperation, drunk on this feeling of being so consumed in one another and the pleasure you were sharing. your hands slide up from his shoulders and into his bubblegum pink locks, his soft hair and your fingers intertwined as you spoke against his lips, caught between his heavy breaths. the movements slow as you become almost gentle in how you swirl your hips and clench around him.

"go ahead, baby, i know you want it. cum inside me." as if an animal in heat, seonghwa's grip turns to iron as he bucks into you, his cock reaching impossibly deep. it has you seeing stars as you both let go together, basking in your combined pleasure as you press your chest to his, eliminating any and all other space between you.

your shared moans are exchanged in your interlocked lips, stuttered swears and groans of each other's name barely caught as you both cum, the thread inside seonghwa snapping finally with your permission. youre filled with his sticky warmth as you soak his cock, soiling not just his lap below you but the sheets of the bed as the last of the wet clapping of your bodies finally halts.

you pull back from seonghwa slightly, only enough to take in his pure blissful expression. surely no one has ever looked so devastatingly beautiful. you actively feel your own heart softening and you lean in and kiss his lips sweetly, the earlier intensity simmering, cooling.

"did so well for me, my perfect toy." your thumb ran down his v-line, collecting your fluids from his skin and smearing it on his lips. at the sensation, seonghwa's eyes open, heavy lidded and still shadowed with lust as his tongue cleans the mess on his mouth. the sweetness of you blooms on seonghwa's tongue, makes his mouth water for more. he's gotten a taste of you, a tease of everything he could have, and he isn't afraid to be greedy.

as his mind clears, he vaguely thinks he's never come so hard so fast before. you've shown him the tantalising euphoria of being under your control, he's already addicted and he cant stand to go without it now that he's hooked.

--

not 100% happy with the ending but im tired of procrastinating this and i wanted to put it out but anyway i hope you liked :3

[cbrownjc]

Oh, the above opens a door for me to talk/spec even more about this. 😊

First off, yes, it was Daniel who noted that Armand let Lestat destroy the Children of Satan coven.

Now, as I said here in this post, I think that Armand had Lestat locked up in Magnus' tower for years.

I think all that stuff we saw of the coven trying to contact Lestat was because the coven didn't know Lestat was already in Paris. Armand was the only one who knew.

Paris was liberated from the Nazis in August of 1944. I think Lestat arrived in Paris sometime after the liberation of the city, but before Louis and Claudia arrived there a few months later, which IIRC was in November of 1944.

Lestat, IMO, could have stowed away on a boat leaving from the US and headed for Paris after the city was first liberated, making it there in late September or sometime in October of 1944. He was probably too weak to book better accommodations and might not have even thought to contact his lawyer before seeking out Armand first, to ask Armand for some of his blood to heal himself, before going to look for Louis and Claudia. (Whom I'm sure he thought had headed for South America.)

And just as in the book, I'm sure Lestat told Armand everything about why/how he got hurt. And then, when Louis and Claudia arrived in Paris and the Coven began to watch them, that is when Armand locked Lestat up in Magnus' tower IMO.

We know that it took 5 months for the Coven to finally make contact with Louis and Claudia, which would have been around April of 1945.

However, all during that time, Armand did not tell the Coven that Lestat was in Paris, though I feel sure he told them everything else, which accounts for why Lestat's portrait was hanging up the way it was when Louis and Claudia first met the Coven.

So Lestat, IMO, was locked up in Magnus' tower from the end of 1944 until sometime in 1949, which is the year the trial happened.

And I think the trial only finally happened because things got to a point for Armand where he was already tired of the coven, but he still needed to hold his authority over them. They knew what Louis and Claudia had done (attempted to do), and they didn't like Louis still anyway.

But, on the other end of things, Armand could probably feel that Louis was not fully committed to being his companion, either, still. Despite what had occurred on the bench in the park, with Louis officially joining the coven then, more or less. As we saw, Louis was still out and about, mostly focusing on art/paintings and such.

IMO, I think Armand either finally revealed to the coven that Lestat was in Paris to try and placate them, or they found out some other way that Lestat was there. Either way, IMO, Armand agreed to put Louis and Claudia on trial for their crimes with the play after the reveal to the coven that Lestat was in Paris.

So, in a roundabout way, Armand couldn't prevent the trial from happening, since he'd had Lestat locked up in Magnus' tower for years by that point IMO. Armand was never going to kill Lestat, but he was never going to let Lestat go either IMO.

So really, it was only a matter of time, IMO, before he was going to have to use the "Lestat is in Paris" trump card.

Armand never loved Claudia and, along with the Coven, had been trying to make her kill herself by driving her mad with that "My Baby Loves Windows" play. Right up until when he was asked to turn Madeleine, Armand thought that Claudia killing herself was an inevitability.

Claudia leaving with Madeleine would have gotten her out of the way, but, still left him and Louis stuck with the Coven in Paris, if Louis didn't decide to just leave with Claudia. Which is why, IMO, Armand feigned breaking with/leaving the coven to go and stay with Louis. I do think a genuine part of Armand was nervous about Louis actually deciding to leave him and Paris to go with Claudia and Madeleine.

However, the coven wouldn't be a problem/issue soon, nor would one of Louis possibly breaking off or away from him in favor of Claudia... or Lestat.

And so, the trial. Directed by Armand. But I don't think Armand was just totally passive beyond that. I do think he was mentally controlling a now years-long weak Lestat to stay "on script" for the majority of the trial. Some little hints and signs point to it IMO.

And I do think Lestat would have tried to save Claudia if he could have during the sentencing. Armand, IMO, was the one who prevented him from doing so. (And IMO, this is the moment when Lestat "gave" Louis to Armand, so that Louis could be saved by Lestat during his sentencing.)

But anyway, the "problem" of Claudia is now gone once the trial is over.

And once that's done, and Louis is freed of his entombment at the right moment, there is just the Coven left, and Louis is definitely about to handle that for Armand.

And Lestat? Well, he wasn't hanging out in Magnus' tower just because. (He would have never stayed there of his own volition in the first place.) He was there because it had been his lockup, his prison, for the past few years IMO. And still was after the trial was over. Got to keep Lestat quiet and out of the way until after the Coven is gone, of course.

The tower scene probably didn't go down like we saw. Rolin's comment that "you can't burn Lestat twice" hasn't come into play yet, but it would make sense if this is when Lestat actually got burned, as both @nalyra-dreaming and @virginiaisforvampires have both speculated before about.

And I mean, I don't think Louis noting in episode 2x04 that his Fire Gift abilities only seem to work when he thinks of something that pisses him off wasn't going to come back at some point. And Louis is the one who sets Lestat on fire in the book before he and Claudia escape to Paris.

Louis setting Lestat on fire at some point is probably inevitable; in the show, it is maybe just going to happen at a different time, way, and place than it did in the book.

And if so, that is probably something Armand didn't anticipate or expect. (And was surprised by.)

However, Louis doing so -- setting Lestat on fire in a rage -- would also go to explain why he stays with Armand after everything (and knowing/figuring out that Armand was behind what happened to Claudia) when he is clearly very unhappy and self-destructive by doing so ... and then thinks to use the interview with Daniel to try and reach out to Lestat to get Lestat to come to him.

Because after everything, including setting Lestat on fire, Louis, due to his own guilt (and probably some self-hatred), probably just couldn't work things up enough to just break things off with Armand for good and go find Lestat himself.

And, as you noted, Armand is now stuck in another monotonous dynamic, as he pretty much laid out in that fight with Louis in 2x05. But, like, in Armand's eyes, at that point in time, it's the only possible one he's got -- the only companionship or chance at one.

And when Armand is likely faced with that all again, post Daniel's "abandonment" in 1985 IMO? Well, as I said, it was probably "so damn be it" when it came to messing with Louis' memories if it meant not be stuck in that same monotonous dynamic once again, as before.

for the longest time I wondered whether santiago's "overthrow" of armand was genuine at least from his pov. as in, was armand letting him think he was the new coven master for the time being so he didn't have to get his own hands too dirty? i could see santiago being arrogant enough to be tricked into thinking he was in control. and armand being pathetic enough to ease his own guilt by putting on a big show of playing the victim.

but someone pointed out that santiago telepathically told armand and/or sam he was about to "violate the 5th" i.e. the law about killing other vampires at one point when lestat was annoying him. but if he was really the new coven master he'd be immune from that law! maybe it was just a joke or a weird discrepancy but it makes me wonder if his entire coup was fake from the start. but if so, who was it for? if louis was meant to die in the trial anyway, what was the point of armand preserving his (relatively!) innocent image? was he trying to downplay his culpability for lestat's benefit? or was playing prisoner throughout the trial the best way to oversee it without having to deal with any direct recriminations from louis? perhaps he just really wanted louis to die believing lestat was responsible, bc that would hurt both of them the most (altho that's super dark!!)

Santiago was never in charge.

Armand never released his position.

It's that simple. It's in the trial script, too, the instructions very clear, but as you point out, Santiago also does the remark with the law there, which is a huge exclamation mark within the trial-version we saw.

It's just the tale Armand put into Louis' head after San Francisco, and that absolved him of it all so very nicely.

Remember, Louis in San Francisco was a different Louis (still), he knew what had happened, he knew what he had done, he knew Armand was guilty, both the bar scene and their discussion in 2x05 (and even the fight there) underline that quite heavily.

Only after San Francisco Armand started editing Louis' mind (like that).

If there is more to the reason for that (namely something with Devil's Minion happening and Louis being involved in some kind of way) will remain to be seen, but that is ... what that weird tale was "for". It was to shift blame away from Armand, and ease his and Louis' life together - for decades, always adjusting, always "tinkering", as Assad called it.

[cinwritesbirth]

just blocked over 300 ageless blogs. jfc

[a-s-levynn]

"A sacred guardian" A Series of Small Offerings - IV/1 - day33

[xxplastic-cubexx]

MARVEL RIVALS NEW SEASON DROPS ON MY BIRTHDAY LETS FUCKIGN GO????????

[fierykitten2]

Funny thing I realised earlier: the UK elections this year happened on America’s fireworks day (independence day) and the US elections this year are happening on Britain’s fireworks day (Guy Fawkes day)

[elenadoeslife]

❤️‍🩹

[pucellerie]

my most inhuman trait is i'm honestly not affected by the beauty of nature & whenever i'm in the countryside or sightseeing natural monuments i've never been able to feel any kind of serenity i'm always like... That's nice honey... 😊 in truth i'd always rather be somewhere where bodegas are no more than 10min away on foot & if i have to spend more than 3 days away from the city i start experiencing heidi levels of homesickness

[pennedinblood]

as of ten minutes ago we are officially Jobless™️. my sign to retire early and devote the remainder of my existence to writing toxic old man yaoi

[deus-ex-mona]

pretty minor thing to think about, but i find it interesting how chapter 7 is the first chapter illustration to show chizuutan as chizuru (instead of chuutan)

like, i get it’s a flashback chapter, but we hardly got to see her as chizuru in the previous few chapters thus far… maybe we’ll get to see more of her as her true self after the hiyori fight/make up? only future chapters may tell, i guess…

[david-watts]

I love adding my leftover paint into my sketchbook it's so much fun and it adds texture which I find I like considering how differently I feel like I have been approaching art recently. and also it helps if I want to add markers to something because it hides the bleed-through, although I don't use my markers as much because of the aforementioned change in approach. however the problem is if I'm just going to glob paint down I need to do so when I don't intend on using the sketchbook because I just shot myself in the foot and I have to wait for it to dry

[celadonlonghorn]

one of the few benefits to having stayed the same person for 11 years running is that i was Pretty Okay at character design even back in 2012. 15 year old me was cooking tbh

[gemharvest]

I'm actually having a great day today despite oversleeping a lil' but my fucking. Art motivation is back and I'm really happy about that. That said it's really funny how like. The last few days of October Happened and then I was kinda just in the torture labyrinth until now. My brief moment of sanity before either the mental exhaustion reclaims me or I have another mental illness moment.

[kathrynmjaneway]

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