#now that we're heading into lestat/sam's season

[pynkhues]

Jacob and Sam as a (presumably less emotionally unhealthy) Deborah-and-Ava artistic soulmate-ship where the talking and texting is just constant and the best thing ever for both of them works too well

It's my favourite, anon.

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep7 Musings - General (Spoilers)

Y'all, it took me like 4 hours to watch this episode; I kept pausing and screaming into my soft beige throw pillow.

Even though I knew what was coming, the execution (pun not intended) was just so heartbreaking, my chest is actually heavy as I type this. Thank goodness for the random humor & comedic relief, cuz I don't know how much of this I could've handled, seeing the Trial done so beautifully done in 4k. Incredible work.

GRRRRRRRRRRREUSOMELY~! Santiago istfg he is a camp QUEEN, rolling his Rs like that 🤣

Only 10 minutes in and Santiago's fighting for his life to not wring Lestat's SCRAWNY neck if he don't stop going off script! 😅

I hate y'all, Rolin. 😂

Are we serious right now with the literal bleeding heart routine, imma be SICK

Nicki's "fragile mind prone to corruption" I can't; who wrote this script, FLORENCE?

Oooooo they finna implicate Armand!? Cuz WE BEEN KNEW Armand was lying in his Ep3 flashbacks!

Sam got the scythe, this is not a drill! I NEED to see Louis chopping off heads in the finale!

Ben Daniels is so great at this.

these ugly AF projections are SENDING ME! Tuan Pham can't draw for ish! 😅

Not Antoinette with the Ophelia flowers, stop! XD

Tuan is a whole troll.

The crowd chanting "YES! leave Louis for Antoinette" had me like omfg Lestat's messy arse is Wendy Williams! 😭

I said STOP WITH THE ANTOPHELIA FLOWERS, TUAN, LOL

Not the raccoon on the projector, stop; lemme pretend she made it out the house alive! 😭 Lestat, you MURDERER!

"The internecine politics of his food... A trenchant form of verbal amusement--" The only one "deceptively agile with words" is whoever wrote this script! 🤩👏

I knew that was coming--I could tell by the way the soldier reacted when Nickistat was being discussed that something was gonna happen; these vamps are waaaaay too gay! 😅🏳️‍🌈

OOOOOOOP! 💀 I'd've been out of my seat screaming up a storm, ain't no way mere stage props & pulleys can get him up there that quick, nuh-uh!

Lestat's EYES, god 👺👹👹☠💀💀👻😈

THAT'S RIGHT READ HIM EXPOSE HIM

Sam left NO CRUMBS!!! I cannot believe what I'm watching in the year of our lord 2024 during Pride Month but I am SEATED 🌈🌈

Naw chile, pause the show, I need a commercial break, we're only 16 minutes in! 🤣😅👏

AMC you EFFED OVER this whole show not giving them time to qualify for an Emmy this year, EYE am disgusted! 😡🤬

Baftas, Golden Globes, Saturn, GLAAD, idfk, where y'all at!? This whole season was EXCELLENT!!!

[reireichu]

Louis will be the one to turn Daniel into a vampire.

We're nearly at the end of the line***, and I have this theory that Armand is not going to turn Daniel into a vampire at the end of the season. Instead, Louis will, and it's because of the above scene.

The entire Season 2 has established very nicely that Armand is a lying liar who lies, but it also has established something else very important:

Louis (is also a lying liar who lies!!!!!) has not forgiven Armand, he has never forgiven Armand, and he never will.

Look at that face.

IWTV hit the lottery with all the actors, and that's including the background actors, the extras, bit parts, the entire Theatres des Vampires and most importantly, with their main characters. Jacob and Assad (and Sam, but we aren't talking about him here) have used the entire fucking season as a masterclass in micro-expressions and honestly, it's so telling that you can rewatch an episode once, twice, ten times, and you will probably catch some tail-end of a thought in Armand's head, or Louis' mind, something you missed, maybe that slight curl of the lip, twitch of the brow, or maybe it was a trick of the light.

We are seeing these particular expressions in real time, instead of via a narrative. These expressions are who they are, how they feel, what they think in that particular moment. None of these acting choices are accidental.

(I could go on a tangent about the big game of Who Lives Who Dies Who Is Telling The Fucking Story Right Now*** and how manipulative Armand and Louis are in their versions of things, how Louis has painted this portray of Lestat that we see and read through his eyes, how they are reading each other, but that's not for today, today is about old maniel okay thanks bye.)

Armand and Louis have a contentious relationship, it’s basically the prolonged divorce of two assholes trapped in a toxic relationship. They’re both the victim and they’re both the villain. They both accept and avoid accountability for all faults. They're as bad as each other.

Is there love there? Yes. That’s what a toxic relationship uses to cage you in—the entire “I can fix him” joke and “but daddy, I love him” trope came from this—and toxic relationships can endure for a very long time, and it can eat you from the inside out, twisting you into some sort of malevolent creature of held together with tape, glue, spite and cruelty wearing the mask of an angel.

Louis and Armand have turned maiming each other with love into a higher art form. They've used it as their courting game, their mating ritual, and now it's their fucking battleground. They love each other, they break each other, and they stay together, and they love each other. Love and hate, different sides of same fucking coin. It put the particular scene when Louis offers Daniel The Gift into a different light for me.

Armand’s expression, as fake!Rashid,could have been read as so many different things (all the awards and commendations to Assad Zaman, please and thank you), and that’s probably the beauty of this entire show. Watch it again now, after the knowledge that Armand sat there as Claudia was burned to death because he ‘could not prevent it’ (LIAR!!!), after knowing that Louis has been with Armand for seventy-seven years of love and hate and ‘tri-annual fuck off and find me’s and everything else in between.

Louis has spent seventy seven years with Armand. He had seventy seven years to see what vulnerabilities there are to exploit, which buttons to push, what words will trigger.*** He’s also a patient man. He’s the guy that will buy a splotchy painting to see it go up in value. He invested in real estate before it was trendy y’all, he’s not here for your fucking NFTs or get rich quick schemes. Louis is a schemer, manipulator and a long term investor.

He’s been waiting for awhile, but he’s also spent decades chipping away that armour Armand wears. The little jibes here and there, dismissive, snarky, cunty or full on there it is, that half blank half apocalyptic stare because this man is either all or nothing. I love you, I hate you, I’m not your fucking companion, you’re so boring, leave him alive Arun, you’re a beige pillow, have you met the love of my life.

Armand is fully aware of what Louis is capable of. Armand might have played Judas in his coven’s little play, he might have been cast out, he might have been persona non grata, but Theatre des Vampires was still his coven and (spoiler alert book wise but I mean we are all know this happens) Louis burnt it all down to the ground. Armand might have hated them by then, Armand might have loathed them, Armand might have tired of them, but if anyone was to light the match on his wretched coven, it should have been Armand.

And now, Louis has invited Daniel into his coffin, the graveyard where Louis has spent the last weeks enshrining Lestat like he’s the beautiful boy nailed to the cross, Lestat whom he hates, Lestat whom he loves, Lestat Lestat Lestat Lestat Lestat.***

Why does it have to be Daniel?

It could have been anyone. History isn’t all that important, or maybe it is.

Don’t tell me Louis hasn’t consumated and consumed so many other writers, because we know he has. Because what is it, Daniel, did you think you were special? How many hundred something boys has Louis fucked around and found out with, after lying and telling you it’s just five. How many after that. How many in those seventy-seven years of Loui’s fuck off and find me sprees, surely there’s been hundreds of writers.

So why Daniel.

Because Armand now has only one thing in this world that is truly his, or was truly his, depends how you see it. Armand loves someone, and that someone is mortal, breakable, dying. Because the Dark Gift has been the thing that broken Armand and Lestat and freed Louis. Because Louis and Armand are lying liars who lie, because love of my life is not the same as coal fire in winter. Because Armand is a broken, manipulative asshole who was the victim, who is the villain, who Louis loves and hates. Armand took Claudia, Armand ruined his life, Armand lied, Armand was Arun was Amedeo was a fucking whore and I’ve always been real good at running the fucking show, Armand Armand Armand Armand Armand—

A very wise old man (and evil dictator, murderer of children, rose garden enthusiast)*** once said:

It's the things we love the most that destroy us.

And Louis has spent a very long time waiting for the right moment to destroy Armand.

And he’s going to use Daniel to do it.

HAPPY FINALE WEEK Y’ALL.

aLSOOoooo:

Just me reaching with weird foreshadowing or references, idek.

Not Lestat's blood. [...] Not good enough for her.

***I’ve had this post in my drafts for about three weeks, and only am posting it now because I basically have been trying to make it more concise or less nonsensical, only to realise that finale week is here so instead it’s now just waffling, with footnotes, bad references, stolen gifs, and inconsistent theorising? Pls forgive me for typos bc I just word vomitted this out to beat the Aus Timezone episode drop.

***Donald Sutherland you were the OG the big bad RIP :(((( you will live on in MASH, Hunger Games and fandom head canons of your twinky younger self from the prequel movie

***I'm actually such Hamiltrash that I couldn't make this post without one Hamilton reference.

***hello arun maitre dom/sub dynamic that reads like a fanfic, the contrast of a former pimp and the former prostitute, using your body to get what you want vs using breadcrumbs affection to manipulate a person, all the narcissism bpd ptsd broken meow meows someone else make this post pls.

***the fact that i cannot let go of this scene, and have used it in both this post and parasite, idek anymore.

[jaggedjot]

An Extended Set of Notes on a Look at Season Two

Or, an attempt at being cohesive in extenuating circumstances.

"He wants you in pieces for the privilege of putting them back together as he sees fit." Armand has correctly identified Daniel's saviour complex (part projection-denial of his own feelings for Louis, part assertion of the white masculinity he leans into) with Louis.

There is a distinct edge to the smiles that Claudia and Armand give each other.

It is implied through the montage that Louis’ speech about his newfound commitment to pragmatic optimism ("Stop feeling sorry for yourself. A shit life beats no life. And where we're going now, we can't be running away again.") is aimed at Claudia. If that is the case, then Claudia is going to rightfully furious at this implicit criticism of her own despair at being an eternal adolescent, especially as this is coming from the man who played a significant role in causing that about. Not to mention the underlying resentment it suggests Louis has about her willingness to leave him, when Louis will be doing something similar to her later in the season.

I do need Sam Reid to teach classes about how to remove a shirt or waistcoat that smoothly.

The third episode of season one had Daniel point out how different Louis portrays Lestat in the present day to the original interview, namely that at the time he seemed to despite Lestat. Armand though clearly recognised that the anger and loathing Louis exhibited in the 1970s is something of a front to mask still existing love.

Initially I thought that Lestat was eating bible scripture, but, judging by the modern costume, he may be eating one of Armand’s scripts instead; the symbolism of both potential images is wonderful.

While Claudia and Madeline’s heads are already turned away, defeated, we catch a glimpse of Louis watching Lestat leave them to their fate.

Interesting that Armand is not going to pretend that there isn't something between him and Lestat.

Whoever blocks the sex scenes understands the importance of desperately grasping hands. I wonder if this tussle will end, as the previous one did, with Louis’ initial dominance fading as he allows himself to be overwhelmed.

“Let me guess, he’s your companion, finally. Picked another one over me!” It must be incredibly difficult for Claudia to see Louis find love, and be loved so intensely, when she is unable to in large part due to Louis' decision for her to be turned as a child. And for Louis to then decide that he has grown out of their relationship.

The line of "You fear Armand. You should fear the other one." before cutting to Louis smashing a glass against a priceless painting. My crazy girl is back.

Present day Louis actually seems to be wearing a colour that isn't black for the first time.

Even having rewound a dozen times, I still have no idea what horrific creature Louis imagines crawling out of the hollow of Lestat's throat. You would presume it would be a rat, but there is something insectoid to it.

A lot of theories about what happened on that fateful night in San Francisco being refuted or made more valid, specifically the seeming confirmation that it was Louis that left that scar on Daniel, and that the interview did take place the same night Louis and Daniel met.

Claudia and Louis sharing Madeleine is quite something.

The implication of the montage accompanying Claudia’s “You got to give up something to get something.” seems to be that Claudia is going to realise that she can never be fulfilled while maintaining her splintering relationship with Louis. Then for it to be followed up by Louis' "You and me, me and you." speech to her.

Santiago's inclusion in the "You and me, me and you." montage promises many things.

This trailer does nothing to contradict my theory that Armand is standing in the prompter’s box of his theatre during the trial, while claiming in the present day that he had no say over what happened next.

Please tell me Lestat's imagined ghost is not accompanying Louis and Armand during all their Parisian dates.

The shot of Lestat laughing while holding an ashing cigarette further confirms that there will be flashbacks to Rue Royale, as the blurred background looks very similar to the downstairs room.

"Pieces of my life gone. I knew who I was without those pieces." LOUIS.

The toast between Claudia, Madeleine, Louis and Armand seems to be taking place immediately before the trial, because Claudia is wearing the same fateful yellow dress and Madeleine the same blue blouse and, seemingly, red two-piece skirt and jacket.

The collapse of the bookshelves containing memorabilia of the past are not clearly connected to something happening in an interview session. If this is a response to something dramatic or particularly emotional in the story, you would expect Daniel to be up close, not sitting behind a desk alone.

It does hurt me to see Louis cry.

[nalyra-dreaming]

hello! two things

first, ive been hearing that the show was greenlit many months ago and its confusing me? rolin from the way he spoke at comic con and interviews sounded like they had to rush the teaser and have literally nothing written down yet, just ideas and a lot of talking about music. which makes the official announcement legit. of course just in case rolin was already brainstorming as i said. but if they had months i guess now it is the right time to say "hey actually...", you know? season 2 was renewed so early because eventually they explained it was supposed to be one season, but amc told him "make two actually" and they had to rewrite for more episodes (so thats why assad could do the santiago monologue for his audition). and then they told us afterwards. so why dont tell us now they knew a long time ago? it would be the right time. but in the last interview rolin literally said "this is all bullshit (they were talking about what will happen in season 3) because we havent wrote down ANYTHING yet". so i guess they never lied about the show not being greenlit yet... i mean i cant see it, in months they should already have a full on trailer, not a teaser that rolin said was even rushed. its a confusing piece of information...? i guess when they will start shooting in fall it will include the documentary parts, the ones we saw in the teaser felt more like experimenting with season 3 vibes, "a sort of sneek into a POTENTIAL season 3", quoting rolin. and till then they will do all the music and write scripts and do the auditions. if not, it doesnt make sense. with months available they had the chance to do much more...?

second, (more lighthearted), considering this taylor swift situation (sorry im not a swift listener but i heard there is a feud sort of with lestat? lol?) he didnt have to say justin bieber in that teaser... he had to say TAYLOR SWIFT in hindsight (oh, if rolin knew). just imagine... just imagine. i would love a playful feud between fiction and reality. totally fantastic, in the lines of that vulture article. also like the boys' vought international youtube channel and people in the comments going with it. it would have been mindblowingly hilarious.

Hey!

So I think the season was indeed greenlit for months (I know others knew about it), but they were under gag order, because the focus was on the second season, and they didn't want to take away from it. And, given history, the announcement would have overshadowed it. I think it was a good move.

But in order to have music DONE, and a teaser video?! They have been on this for months. I also think they have been casting, and doing chemistry tests and so on in the meantime. That takes time.

I do believe Rolin when he says he has nothing "written" yet - remembering Sam saying they had only two(!) scripts ready when they started shooting season one, it means that Rolin has a LOT in his head that he then churns out.

As per Justin Bieber... I believe that is a play on an article that happened ages ago, where someone confused Anne Rice with Anne Frank, and Justin Bieber visiting the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. I remember that throwing some waves ... back then (cannot believe the site is still up).

But yeah, I think "The Vampire Lestat" will - maybe has already - breached pop culture beyond fiction... if they really release a double album with music that hits like the first single???? We're in for a ride, baby :))))

[jambrainrot]

i have a prompt if thats okay! jam cute pining moments during shooting s2 and press, and its so obvious to any human besides them. everyone around them constantly teases them as they deny any feelings for each other

Pairing: Jacob/Sam

Tags: Jacob’s POV, pining, everyone ships jam, fluff, banter

Warnings: none

Rating: T

Jacob sat in the makeup chair, trying not to watch Sam in the mirror. Failing. Sam was laughing at something, head thrown back, throat exposed. What a lovely jaw. Jacob's fingers twitched with the urge to trace that line of skin.

Sam caught his eye in the mirror and winked. Jacob's heart did that stupid little skip-jump it always did, the one he'd gotten far too used to over the past two years.

Assad dropped into the chair next to him, already in his Armand costume. "You know," he said, watching Sam joke with one of the makeup artists, "for someone who plays a vampire, our boy Sam's got an awful lot of warmth. Wouldn't you say, Jacob?"

Our boy? Jacob tried not to roll his eyes.

"He's Australian. They're all like that."

"Mhmm. And you notice the warmth of all Australians, do you?"

Jacob scratched the back of his head. "Oh, piss off."

Sam chose that moment to walk over, dropping his hands onto Jacob's shoulders. His thumbs pressed into the tight muscles at the base of Jacob's neck, and Jacob had to bite back a embarrassing sound.

"Tense today, Jake?" Sam asked, continuing his impromptu massage. His hands were warm, so warm, and Jacob was melting.

Assad's knowing smirk grew wider. "I'll leave you two to your... professional massage therapy."

******

All of this was in the script. That's what Jacob kept telling himself as Sam crowded him against the wall, one hand braced beside his head. They'd done this scene twenty times, but Jacob's heart wouldn't stop racing.

Sam's eyes were different when he was playing Lestat - sharper, hungrier. But sometimes, like now, Jacob caught glimpses of something else. Something softer, something that made him want to close the few inches between them and-

"Alright, cut," Rolin called out. "Sam, maybe dial back the touching just a bit? We're going for sexual tension, not foreplay."

"What?" Sam dropped his hand like he'd been burned. "That's just - that's how Lestat would do it."

"Sure," Rolin said, not bothering to hide his smirk. "Lestat."

Jacob stepped away from the wall on shaky legs, trying to remember how to breathe normally. Sam's scent lingered in his nose - sandalwood and something else, something uniquely Sam that made Jacob's head spin.

"Again?" Sam asked, rough in a way that made Jacob's stomach flip.

"God help me," Rolin muttered, "Like watching two trains determined to miss each other."

In the end, the scene ended up not making it to the final version. Jacob tried not to be disappointed when he discovered that there was going to be one kissing scene this season.

******

Jacob watched Sam as he prepared the tea. Three minutes exactly - Sam actually used his phone timer, because "Can't mess up your brew, Jacob." He even tested the temperature before adding the splash of milk.

Delainey grabbed her coffee, watching Sam fix Jacob's tea exactly the way he liked it. "That's sweet," she said, sidling up to Jacob. "Sam knowing your tea order."

"We've been working together for two years," Jacob said stiffly. "He probably knows everyone's preferences."

"Hey, Sam!" Delainey shouted suddenly. "How does Eric take his tea?"

Sam looked up, confused. "Why would I know that?"

“What about Assad?”

Sam frowned. “What about him?”

Jacob suddenly found his shoes fascinating, trying to ignore the warm feeling spreading through his face. Sam walked over, pressing the perfectly made tea into Jacob's hands. Their fingers brushed, and Jacob nearly dropped the cup.

"Just how you like it," Sam said softly, and Jacob couldn't help but notice how his accent got thicker when they were close like this.

"Thanks," Jacob managed, taking a sip. It was perfect.

Delainey looked between them, shaking her head. "Unbelievable. Actually unbelievable."

*******

The cold bit through Jacob's thin clothes, but he didn't mind. Not when it meant Sam would do this - wrap his own jacket around Jacob's shoulders, hands lingering to adjust the collar. The jacket smelled like him, and Jacob had to resist the urge to bury his nose in it.

Eric watched from his director's chair as Sam fussed over Jacob. "You two are adorable," he said, not looking up from his phone. "Like an old married couple. Except for the part where you're not actually together."

"We're just-" Jacob started.

"Mates," Sam finished, but his hands were still on Jacob's shoulders, thumbs brushing against his collarbones through the jacket.

"Right," Eric nodded. "Mates who know each other's coffee orders, share clothes, and stare at each other when they think no one's looking. Totally normal mate behavior."

"I don't stare," Jacob protested.

"You're staring right now."

Jacob snapped his head forward so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash. But he could feel Sam's eyes on him, burning against his skin.

*******

The whole cast was crammed into a small green room before interviews. Sam was half-asleep, his head resting on Jacob's shoulder. His hair tickled Jacob's neck, and each warm breath against his skin sent shivers down his spine. Jacob was pretending to read his phone, but his free hand was absently playing with the hem of Sam's sleeve, fingers occasionally brushing against skin.

Assad leaned over to Delainey. "Twenty quid says they figure it out by the end of press tour."

"Thirty says Christmas since Jacob is missing comic con this year and Sam will cry into his coffee that week," she whispered back. "The holiday romance of it all will get to them."

"Fifty says New Year's Eve," Rolin chimed in. "Drunk confession, very romantic."

"What are you lot whispering about?" Jacob asked, trying to sound annoyed but failing because Sam had just shifted closer, nuzzling into his neck.

"Nothing," they chorused.

Sam stirred slightly, his lips brushing against Jacob's pulse point. "Comfy," he mumbled, still mostly asleep, and Jacob's heart threatened to burst right out of his chest.

"Just watching true love bloom," Eric muttered, just loud enough for Jacob to hear.

Jacob opened his mouth to protest, but then Sam made a small contented noise in his sleep, one hand coming up to grip Jacob's shirt, and whatever denial he'd planned died in his throat. Sam was real and solid against him, fitting perfectly into his side like he belonged there, and Jacob wanted this moment to last forever.

*******

The couch they'd squeezed them onto wasn't meant for two grown men. Jacob's thigh pressed against Sam's, a line of heat that made it hard to focus on the interviewer's questions.

"So, the chemistry between Louis and Lestat this season is incredible despite the limited screen time," the interviewer leaned forward, her smile knowing. "How do you create that on screen?"

Sam laughed, that deep, rich sound that he does when he’s nervous about something. "Well, when you spend sixteen hours a day with someone-"

"Sometimes twenty," Jacob added, not meaning to say it out loud.

"Yeah, twenty hours with this one," Sam turned to him, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Hard not to get close, isn't it?"

Close. Right. Jacob tried not to think about how Sam's hand had found its way to his knee under the pretense of shifting position. How his thumb was making small circles that were driving Jacob mad.

"Very close, from what I've seen on set," the interviewer pressed. "There are rumors-"

"We're just good mates," Sam cut in, but his hand tightened on Jacob's knee. "Best mates."

"Best mates," Jacob echoed, hating how breathless he sounded.

The interviewer's eyes flickered to where their shoulders touched, where Sam was practically draped against Jacob's side. "Right. And the fan theories about you two-"

"Haven't seen them," Jacob lied. He'd spent three hours last night scrolling through Twitter, watching fan-edited videos of their interviews. The way Sam looked at him when he thought Jacob wasn't paying attention. The way Jacob's whole body seemed to orient toward Sam.

"Liar," Sam teased, “saw you watching those compilations in your trailer."

"It popped up on my feed!”

"Isn’t your feed based on algorithms of what you search?” Sam asked, raising an eyebrow, and for a moment, Jacob forgot about the cameras, the interviewer, everything except the challenge in Sam's eyes.

The interviewer cleared her throat. "And what about the reunion scene? That must have been... intense to film."

"It was intense," Jacob managed. "But we made the scene work because we’re professional.”

Sam shifted. "It was slightly embarrassing how emotional we got, but being in love is embarrassing sometimes."

In love? Jacob blinked. Sam was talking about Lestat and Louis, not them…

"We only got a few takes to get it right," Jacob added. “In that private moment, we spoke from the heart. Something that is just ours, no one else.”

“Yes,” Sam cleared his throat. “Ours.”

After the interview, Rolin cornered them in the hallway. "Professional? That's what you're going with? You two were one breath away from making out on camera."

"We were not," Jacob protested, but it lacked conviction.

"Were too," Eric called from down the hall. "I've seen porn with less sexual tension."

"You watch a lot of porn, mate?" Sam shot back, but his hand was still on Jacob's lower back.

Assad walked by, shaking his head. "You two are exhausting. Just kiss already."

"We're not-" Jacob started.

"I know, I know," Assad waved him off. "Just mates. The best of mates. Mates who look at each other like they're dying of thirst and the other is a tall glass of water. Totally normal."

Delainey appeared, phone in hand. "Have you seen what the fans are saying about this interview? The hashtag is trending. Someone made a supercut of all the times Sam touched Jacob in the last ten minutes. It's three minutes long."

“What?” Sam demanded as Eric entered the hallway. “How did they get the interview so fast?”

Eric snorted. “You were so busy peeling Jacob’s clothes off with your mind you didn’t realize the interview was being live-streamed.”

Oh fuck.

Jacob buried his face in his hands. Sam's thumb was still making circles on his back, and he couldn't even bring himself to pull away.

"Kill me now," he mumbled into his palms.

"Nah," Sam said, pulling him closer. "You're stuck with me. For better or worse."

"That sounds an awful lot like a wedding vow," Rolin pointed out.

Sam just smiled, that soft, dazzling smile that made Jacob's heart stutter. "Does it? Hadn't noticed."

“Trying to marry me?” Jacob joked to put himself at ease. “I snore a lot and require constant cuddles.”

Sam shrugged. “Doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Las Vegas isn’t too far from here,” Assad piped up. “I have a suit and can call Bailey to send us rings from her company.”

“I can officiate,” Eric offered. “I’ve married off plenty of couples.”

“I get to be the flower girl!” Delainey added.

“I’m the best man for both of you then,” Rolin practically demanded. “Because I made all of this happen. You’re welcome.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Relax, everyone. We’re not going to Vegas, my mum would kill me if I got married on American soil. So save all your energy for the real thing.”

It was a joke, of course it was but Jacob remembered Sam’s mum telling him to visit soon. That she has a spare bedroom for him and Sam to share. She even “accidentally” sent house listings in a group text with them. Jacob thought it was a mistake at first.

Did Sam say something to make her think…?

“— no, absolutely not,” Sam was arguing with Eric, “I love vampires, but that won’t be the theme at our wedding. That’s a bit much. Jacob doesn’t like the water and Australian beaches would kill him. A classic indoor wedding would be fine.”

That’s true, Jacob thought, he can’t marry Sam on a beach -

And holy shit, they were so, so screwed.

But maybe, just maybe as he listened to Delainey and Assad bicker on who gets to be the flower girl, he was starting to be okay with that.

[distinguisheddetectivechild-blog]

The show is all about unreliable narration and the choices made to highlight that in season 2 really drive it home.

But i worry that sometimes we use the "Louis is an unreliable narrator" to discredit events or deny they ever happened when its not warranted.

By the end of season 2 Louis has come a long way. Season 2 Louis is not Book Louis (that was 1973 san fran Louis). And season 2 Louis by the finale is also not season 1 Louis.

Proof being that he admitted the story about Claudia happened the way Lestat told it at the trial and asked Daniel to use it.

Louis wanted to do the interview because deep down he needed to revisit his past and heal something in himself. And by the finale he has accepted a lot of truths that he had been avoiding or suppressing.

I think what we forget when we think of Louis as an unreliable narrator is that we are all unreliable narrators for various reasons.

In Louis' case, i think he is unreliable for a lot more reasons than that he lied a few times or embellished or ommitted or because Armand went rummaging in his head.

Louis is unreliable because just like us, he doesn't have all the facts. He can only tell the story the way he experienced it.

1973 Louis tried to paint Lestat as a pathetic thing because he still had a lot to work through.

2022 Louis wanted to be fair. He wanted to be honest. But he's still constrained by his trauma, his ignorance of certain events, his shoddy memory, his long depressive episodes (as someone who has experienced them : kinda hard to be observant or anything but numb in that state).

Louis is also unreliable by virtue of his VERY limited perspective and knowledge.

The way Lestat appears in season 1 is the way Louis sees him. Dreamstat is an extension of that.

I guess what i'm trying to say is. Louis knows Lestat loves him to an extent. And he also knows Lestat was kinda crazy. But he doesnt KNOW Lestat. Because Lestat never TOLD him.

He doesnt know about his past or his traumas or his triggers. He doesnt know how his experiences shaped him because Lestat never shares ANYTHING.

So what i'm hoping from season 3 is not that we get completely different versions of events that we already saw but that we get to see the blanks Louis couldnt fill (which im sure well be getting ).

In a way it makes me sad that two characters who love each other so much understand each other so little.

The book in the universe of the show might be to Lestat perfunctory and incomplete. But it is also a window into Louis's psyche, his thoughts and feelings about their relationship. Its a chance for Lestat to hear how Louis really felt in those years beyond his own assumptions and to finally understand how his own inability to open up, understand Louis or accept his attachment to humanity shaped and ultimately ruined their relationship.

I don't want to come out of season 3 thinking of Lestat's version as the TRUTH. Lestat is just as imperfect and unstable and biased as Louis. He does however hold answers Louis simply doesnt have. We're hungry for his version because its the one we havent heard. But like you said his version is there to complete a picture. Not to oveehaul the entire narrative.

This is a chance to see how they each viewed each other and how their actions drove them apart. It is also a chance for them both to learn what they need about the other in order to finally love each other the way they need to be loved.

Beyond the writing i'm excited to see how Sam's performance will change now that he is not playing Lestat through other people's idea of him. We got a glimpse in 2x08 and i cannot wait to see more.

One thing I've thought about is the fact that some people are quick to attack Louis after hearing Lestat's version of some things, especially after 2x07 and I believe that it's perfectly NORMAL for Louis to be an unreliable narrator, just like Lestat is, and Armand too. However, I think the reason more people seem to be defending Lestat these days is if you imagine your ex and their current partner, whom you also have a history with, suddenly publishing a book about your life without your consent and portraying you in a way that suits them. I'd be going nuts. Don't get me wrong, Lestat is just as unreliable a narrator as anyone else. It's just that I feel we might get a more balanced and nuanced version of events when we hear his side of the story. After all, the show is called the INTERVIEW for a reason; we can never expect an entirely unbiased version of events unless the showrunners decide to alter things.