#such a perfect study of Armand and Daniel

[ghouldump]

Your lestat x louis x claudia fic EATSSSSSSSS

If your are up to it could you do something with my pretty husband armand and his manipulative ways?

Beautiful Deception | Armand x Reader

ෆ moving to paris, the last thing you expected was to come across the ancient vampire.

lol thank youuu so much, i hope you like this 💕 sometimes i take a while to post because i rewrite my work over and over until i think it’s good. this was a great idea and i don’t mind taking more.

“How long will you continue to claim that you are a vampire?” The interviewer, Daniel Malloy asked. Crossing your leg over the other, you smiled.

“It is merely one of many truths, but I will let you and the readers decide if it should be accepted,” you said.

It had been nearly a year since you turned 100. Since you made the blog, originally to share stories from your past. Despite all events being true, and the website becoming a success, it was all seen as fiction. You were seen as a character, an upcoming writer dedicated to your role, but it would be coming to an end. Daniel, someone you’d been studying for some time now, needed a story, something fresh. He was getting the raw unspoken truth, things you hadn’t shared before, publishing it along with an interview.

“Why now?”

“Why not now, Daniel? We live in a new age, where we people of the night should be known,” you smirked.

Just then, the door opened, and Armand, your partner of over 80 years entered. The sleek black turtle neck was perfect against his glowing brown skin. Turning to him, you looked up in admiration, as he placed a soft kiss on your lips, before sitting next to you.

“I hope you don't mind, my husband, Armand, joining us”

“Armand the vampire? You said some concerning things about him,” Daniel said, trying to get under both of your skin.

“We’ve moved past those times,” you said, as Armand intertwined your fingers.

“Alright, whatever that’s supposed to mean, shall we start?”

“Yes, let’s,” you smiled, nodding.

“Let’s start here…”

Run, run, don’t stop, keep running.

Your heart pounded, as you ran through the streets, gasping for air as you grew more tired. Afraid to look back, you kept going, you were sure you’d drop dead in fear seeing him behind you. Turning on nearly every corner, relief washed over, seeing a store owner closing his shop.

“Sir,” you called out, as you jogged to him.

“No, no, I’m closing,” he pointed at the sign.

“Please help me, he’s going to get me,” you cried, as the man finally turned to face you, genuinely concerned.

“Come in,” he said, letting you into the store. As you came in, he locked the door behind you. With the adrenaline coming down, you could feel pain in your foot from stepping in glass.

“We have to hide,” you told the man, tugging at his sleeve.

“You go,” he pointed to the back, before he went behind the counter, pulling a shotgun out.

Limping to the back of the store, looking back one more time, you screamed as the door burst open, the shop owner being killed instantly. As the elderly man fell to the floor, you cried out, before he appeared in front of you.

“Y/n,” his eyes softened seeing your tear stained face, all of your makeup running down, mixed with the tears.

“Please….”

“You’re moving ahead of yourself, Daniel, we have to start from the beginning, I had just moved to France-

“So Armand didn’t kill the shop owner and was about to kill you next?” He asked, as Armand clenched his jaw, glaring at the man.

“Daniel, you only get one session, you have to get this right, just let the story seduce you as it had done to me,” you said as he begrudgingly nodded, finally ready to listen.

"Here are your keys, rent is due on the third of each month," your new landlord, Henri said, handing the keys to your husband, Phillip.

“Thank you, sir,” he muttered, while you giggled, your eyes exploring the place. Neither of you was the best at French, at least speaking it. Despite the previous months of studying and reciting, your articulation was still overwhelmingly, American.

He didn't say anything, giving you both a questionable stare, before leaving the small apartment. Compacted in size, and already cluttered with furniture, but it was your new home, and that's all that mattered. Shutting the front door, you walked over to the full-sized bed. This was the fresh start you needed.

“What do you think?” Philip asked.

“I love it,” you told him, jumping into his arms.

Living all of your life in the States, you were the youngest of two children. Your father, you never knew, not that it mattered too much to you. It was your mother who came from a wealthy family in France. Before she decided to move to its child, New Orleans.

She didn't talk about her time there much, only telling short stories about your grandparents or her early life in Paris. She was lonely as a child, and her parents were oftentimes neglectful, as a result of having her at an old age.

Having her own children, you and your twin brother, Elijah, from a hookup with an attractive soldier, she vowed to dedicate herself to both of you. She made sure neither of you ever went without, providing the best of your desires.

Around 9, you were certain you wanted to be a performer. It didn't matter how or what you did, the idea of being adored, captivating the crowd, your juvenile mind was set. Your mother soon paid for all sorts of lessons, dancing, singing, and instruments, she was just as determined that you would achieve your dreams.

While you were striving for your goals, your brother, Elijah, struggled with living in your shadow. You took up most of your mother's time, which is how she didn't notice the bullying. He had always been introverted, harmless as a butterfly, nose deep in a book. While you were holding onto hopes and dreams, your brother was guaranteed a successful life with how smart he’d always been.

However, there was a problem, jealousy. She was a demon, stronger than most, willing to compel whoever that would allow, to do whatever their deepest desires were. This is why, on that Saturday evening, on your 14th birthday, you and your mother left for the market, intending on baking a cake for the two of you, she attacked.

Bullies from his class saw him as he was taking out the trash. They never liked the boy, coveting the lifestyle he had been fortunately given. Attacking him, they only meant to roughen him up a bit, until he fought back. Then, filled with that ancient spirit of jealousy, one of them picked up a rock.

Thankfully, one of the neighbors heard the commotion and came running to save him, but the damage had been done. From that point on, your brother was different, as was your mother.

The life that he was once guaranteed to have was gone and your mother spent all of her time focused on caring for him. She still paid for your classes, but you were no longer a priority.

At 18, you met and eventually married Philip, a 22-year-old, journalist. He was very handsome with the most alluring brown eyes and soft wavy hair. He didn't have much money, but once he settled somewhere and established his career, he promised to give you the world.

Your mother disapproved of the marriage, how could you carelessly marry a poor man trusting his empty promises, she screamed at you. Which is why, out of spite, you told her you’d be moving to Paris. You watched as the hardened expression dropped, and sad memories flashed through her eyes. Throwing her hands up, she gave up with her argument, letting you leave, sending a parting gift of a few thousand dollars, before you were out of the country.

Now in the beautiful city, Phillip’s future seemed to be already looking up to be just as bright, as he had already been hired by a popular news corporation. Securing the apartment was simply the final step in your new life, at least that's what you thought.

Immediately, Philip worked day and night, hoping to begin to provide you with the life you deserved. Dates weren't as frequent as they once were in the States, but intimacy was just as regular as before, if not more.

Meanwhile, you oftentimes left home, looking for work. Not many places would hire women and the people who did expected their workers to work twice as much as they were paid. Until The Grand Cabaret, Edward, the head director of the restaurant/theatre was in dire need of new performances.

He'd stopped you on your way home from the store, captivated by your looks, giving you his card. Telling Phillip about the man, he agreed that it could be a good idea. Perhaps even a step towards becoming the big star you always wanted to be.

The next night you went, Philip was going to be out a little later than usual, finishing work. Anxiously, you made your way to the address on the card. Stopping in front of the building, you were surprised by the lack of guests. The establishment was nice, a few people were seated eating, and slow music was playing, but people continued to walk past.

“Ah, mademoiselle,” Edward smiled, as he stepped out.

“Not a busy night?” you asked him.

“People are more willing to eat with an equally lovely performance,” he said sheepishly, his eyes shifting to his left.

Following his eyes, you stared at the theater, Théâtre des Vampires. You could see the line of customers, excited to get into the theater. Although, the workers looked extremely rude and intimidating, dressed in the vampire costumes.

“I’m sure you just need the right act,” you told him, making eye contact with security, catching his brash expression.

“Do you sing or dance…?” He asked, waiting to hear your name.

“Y/n, and yes, I’ve been trained in both, I will admit, I am still not the greatest singer,” you laughed, as you accepted his hand.

“Please allow me to offer you a job here, as one of our employees. I trust your word, I am desperate, you’ll be paid weekly-

“I-when would I start?”

“Tonight…I mean, if it is possible,” he said.

“I can only stay for a while, my husband isn’t aware that I am away”

“Yes, of course, come right this way,” he said, leading you to the dressing room, allowing you to set your things down.

The cast members were all kind, introducing themselves as you glanced at yourself, checking your makeup.

“We have our newest act of the evening, the lovely and beautiful, Y/n,” Edward said, introducing you, before leaving the stage. He could already see the attention shifting to you, excitedly he opened the door, along with the windows, allowing potential guests to see.

“Just follow my lead,” you spoke to the small orchestra before you began singing a song you’d heard back when you lived with your mother. As the audience grew more interested, you felt your confidence rising by the second, as you danced freely, shutting your eyes, thrilled to finally be performing.

That night, for the first time, The Grand Cabaret was a full house. Everyone who passed wanted to see and hear more of your talent. As everyone clapped for you, and you could see now, you would be a star.

“What is the meaning of this?” Santiago frowned at Sam, wondering why he hadn’t been notified about any signaling of the play starting.

“Well…” Sam faced their leader, who stood, waiting for an answer.

“They’ve all gone to that stupid cabaret,” Estelle crossed her arms.

“Cabaret?”

“Apparently there is a new girl, American, she’s bringing them a bit of attention with her…performances,” Celeste told him.

Not saying a word, Armand furrowed his eyebrows, leaving the theater. His steps held a steady stride as he approached the building. Never since the theater had been opened had the place been empty. He had to see with his own eyes, this person, what had you done to take all of the loyal guests.

As he approached the entrance, the first thing he noticed was everyone wearing all black. The Dance of the Dead, starring the beautiful lead, Y/n,” his eyes skimmed the sign.

“Excuse me,” you said, brushing past Armand, and nearly running to the dressing room.

It had been a little over a month since you began working and although at first anxious, you were more than grateful for the opportunity. Edward was incredibly generous, wanting to keep his main act satisfied. You began to recommend themes, scenery, and new music, the guest needed to be able to visualize the show further than what you were giving.

The Dance of the Dead was a mockery of the vampire theater but with your own twist. A few people you'd grown familiar with had gone, telling you about how real everything seemed. How they’d managed to pull off some sort of screenplay, like movies. You never took the time to visit yourself, but saw the action as simply a little fun competition.

As the lights dimmed, Armand sat down, unintentionally gulping as you sauntered onto the stage. Immediately, the music started, along with your dancing. Armand watched as everyone focused, hypnotized as you were oozing in sex appeal. He nearly second-guessed himself about you, it shouldn't be possible for a mortal to captivate so many people in such a way, Armand thought to himself.

Going to your knees, as your head went back, he couldn’t help but think of how supernatural your beauty was, how luring your essence was. Going further to the floor, you faced the audience, your eyes meeting his. He smirked slightly, nodding at you, while you bit your lips.

As the song came to an end, you stood up, bowing your head. The audience cheered loudly, clapping and whistling.

‘Beautiful’ you heard, your eyes going to Armand, as he stood up.

“Thank you,” you blew kisses at the crowd, before going backstage.

He watched in amazement as they still cheered for you, the way that you moved ingrained into his thoughts. Coming from the dressing room, you looked almost different, blending in with the audience. He walked to the door, as you talked with your boss, accepting the envelope, along with a quick hug.

Moving outside, he stayed not too far behind you. Seeing that no one was around, he sped up, intentionally bumping into you.

“I’m so sorry,” you apologized, as his hand brushed against your waist.

“No, it is my apologies, I may be mistaken, but do you work at the Cabaret?”

“Yes, I do,” he watched as your eyes twinkled with joy.

“I’m Armand, I am the director of Théâtre des Vampires,” he held out his hand.

“Y/n,” you went to shake his hand but froze as he lifted your hand, placing a soft kiss near your knuckles.

“I…I have to get home, my husband is waiting,” you told him, emphasizing the title, as he stared into your eyes. You couldn't deny the mysterious man was quite the sight.

“Allow me to walk you home,” he offered.

“Oh no, I wouldn't want to take up your time-

“Nonsense, a woman of your caliber should be escorted, perhaps we could talk business,” he said, making you smile.

“Okay,” you nodded.

“Ladies first,” he motioned for you to lead the way.

Armand was unnaturally enchanting in every aspect, a forbidden fruit your heart told you to stay away from, but your flesh tingled in his presence. It was an unspoken understanding that you could only see him at night at these shows. You anticipated seeing his youthful face, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. He'd sit within the audience, watching your every move. Then backstage, approaching you, he'd always have a fresh bouquet. You would give him a look and he’d say something along the lines of how a star deserves flowers.

“Knock knock,” Armand said, catching your attention, turning from the vanity.

“Hi,” you smiled, standing up, and closing your robe.

“For you, the beautiful star of the show,” he said, handing you the bouquet.

“Thank you, Armand,” you told him.

“You never have to thank me,” he shook his head, reaching for your hand, and placing a soft kiss on top. Pulling away, as your heart leaped, you shifted your eyes.

“I have to get home soon,” you said.

“Right, your husband…it is a shame he doesn't come out to support you,” Armand said, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

“He works a lot”

“Unfortunate, I mean for him, because I get to have you to myself,” he said, smirking.

“Are you walking me home?” you asked, your face burning at his shameless joke.

“I'm ready when you are, angel”

You admired Armand, greatly, how confident, bold, intelligent, handsome-wait. Being around Armand, you oftentimes had to remind yourself you were married, as well as him. He had no problem blatantly flirting and laughing as you froze up in embarrassment. The two of you were growing closer than you should have been, while, it seemed like your marriage was crumbling.

“I don't want you working there anymore,” Philip told you, as you replaced the water in the vase, setting it near the window.

“Why? The extra money is helping…” you said, still staring at the flowers, Armand crossing your mind.

“My colleagues have been talking about the place nonstop, they think you’re some exotic whore,” he grumbled.

“Okay? There opinions aren’t paying us,” you told him.

“I don’t need them having you as a subject in the paper, you’re quitting,” he began to raise his voice.

“Philip, the money is great”

“I told you, I would provide the life you deserve-

“When? We’ve been out here for nearly a year and you have no signs of a pay increase. Am I supposed to sit around and hope? My mother was right about you,” you spat.

“What did you say?” He stalked towards you, your hands went up defensively as he walked towards you, as if you were prey. Raising his hand, he held it high, ready to strike you. You’d shut your eyes, waiting for the blow, but it never came.

Opening your eyes, you watched as he stood still, realizing what he was about to do, he shook his head.

“I’m sorry,” he began to repeat, reaching for you before you ran out of the building. As you made it down the flight of stairs, you mentally cursed yourself, realizing you forgot to grab your coat, but were too afraid to go back.

Instead you walked the streets, stopping in your tracks, seeing the familiar faces. The cast members dressed as creatures of the night. You were about to walk towards them when a hand lightly pulled you backward. Gasping, your face relaxed as you bumped into Armand.

“Hi,” you said, breathlessly.

“What are you doing out here, in the middle of the night?” He tilted his head at you. You could ask the same thing, they were all here, a good distance from the theater.

“Just walking around, clearing my mind,” you said, shrugging.

“Something happened?” He asked, a concerned expression on his face.

“I’ll be fine, it’s nothing,” you shook your head. Armand was the last person you wanted to burden your problems with.

“Then allow me to join you, we can clear our minds together,” he intertwined his arm with yours.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to-

“Shall we go to the park? It’s quiet around this time,” he thought, leading you in the other direction.

“What are you all doing out here, in the middle of the night?” You asked him.

“Finding…inspiration,” he smirked.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course”

“Do you think it is wrong to regret big decisions you’ve made?”

“I think there are no coincidences, your mistake can lead you to your biggest culmination, regret is unnecessary, stress about something from your past, but tell me, what is it, you wish could have been done differently?”

“Maybe stayed home, pursued my dreams there, found a husband who was a man of his word, who supported my ambitions despite if others thought negatively of me,” you said, you hadn't realized you were crying until you felt Armand's finger brushing the tears away.

“This is nothing to be ashamed of, your dreams are coming to reality and I am a man of my word, I couldn’t care what anyone has to say when you’re on stage,” he smirked as you started laughing.

“And why is that?” You stopped walking.

“Because my eyes are blessed to see an angel and I don’t want to miss any parts of your beauty,” he said, as he gazed into your glossy eyes. Stepping closer, he pressed his lips against your own, and your arms guilelessly went around his neck.

“Where have you been, all my life?” you peered into his eyes.

“Waiting for you,” he said, kissing your lips, once more.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” you giggled as the kiss broke.

“You’ve been worth the wait, come, it is getting late, I’m sure there are still some hotels opened-

“I can go home”

“Y/n-

“Trust me, I’ll be fine at home,” you smiled, as he redirected the walk to your apartment.

“Are you sure you want to stay here tonight?” Armand asked, as you both stood outside your door.

“Knowing Philip, he left,” you reassured him.

“Come to my theater tomorrow night”

“Okay,” you nodded.

“See you then,” he grinned, pecking your lips, before turning away.

“Edward, I don’t understand?” You frowned, trying to fathom what he was saying.

“I think it’s better this way, I’ve been more than grateful for the business you’ve brought to us, but we can’t risk having the article released, it will do more damage than anything,” he explained, his eyes full of pity.

You had extra time on your hands, stopping at your job, when Edward gave you the news. He was firing you, not because you had done anything wrong, but because he had received an anonymous tip about the cabaret soon to be in the media, and not for anything positive - going as far as being compared to a brothel.

All coverage wasn't good coverage in Edwards's eyes and he knew the target audience would turn away from the establishment in an instant.

“I'm sorry, Y/n,” he said, as you sighed, before putting on your best smile. You wouldn't cry now, sometimes this happened to big stars, you told yourself.

“It is alright, I wish you nothing but the best, goodbye,” you told him, leaving the cabaret.

You never looked back, keeping your eyes forward as you approached the ticket collector. His eyes snapped to you as he slightly frowned.

“There is a line,” he told you matter-factly.

“Is Armand here?”

“You can find out after you get in line just like everyone else-

“Y/n,” Armand walked outside, giving him a look. You watched as he lowered his gaze, almost in submission.

“Come,” he motioned, reaching out. Smiling, you accepted his hand, letting him lead you to his booth.

“Is there a reason you look like you’re on the verge of tears?”

“Just trying to figure out why everything is going wrong in my life,” you said, with a chuckle.

“Perhaps your culmination is closer than you realize”

“I hope you’re right”

“I’m in love with you,” your eyes widened at his words as you spoke at the same time.

“Armand, I-

“Since the moment you graced my eyes, I’ve been bewitched by your presence and…and I don’t want to leave it. I can give you the life you deserve, a stage to perform, love unlike any other, and pleasure beyond comprehension, choose me,” he told you, his eyes went to your lips, before he turned, watching as the lights dimmed.

Throughout the play, you could hardly focus, as your finger interlocked with Armand’s. His thumb caressed your warm flesh, bringing your hand to his lips. You could agree with your former colleagues, the play seemed real, almost too real. If it wasn’t for Armand’s swooning, you would be panicking.

You watched as the girl screamed, begging to be saved, but death came to collect. Surrounding her, her shrieking faded away as the curtains closed.

“That was…intense,” you gulped, as Armand laughed.

“It is all apart of the show,” he reminded you.

“Yes, doesn’t change that it was a little scary”

“You would look ravishing on that stage, whatever you'd like, singing, dance, it's yours,” he told you.

“I have to go,” you bit back your smiled, flattered by his bold promises.

“Stay, for tonight”

“I can't, it has been on my heart to write to my mother, so I want to get a head start,” you told him.

“Then will I see you tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow night,” you nodded, accepting his kiss, before you left, making your way home.

Thinking of the steady decline of your marriage, you worried for your future, if you were headed towards a divorce. Your mother was the smartest woman you knew and although she was disappointed, you knew she would never turn her back completely. Like the prodigal son, you’d return home if it meant better circumstances, and your mother like the father, would accept you with open arms. Your heart wanted to believe Armand, but you couldn’t allow yourself to fall for more empty promises.

Settling back into the apartment, you sat at Philip’s desk. You wouldn't consider yourself nearly as good as a writer as he was, but he had taught you a few things to better your craft. Grabbing a pen, you started a bit formal, it had been a while since you'd seen your mother after all.

As your writing progressed, you poured your emotions out into the paper. Dealing with the suppressed feeling of being the reason for your brother's condition, your failed attempts at marriage, and your career, since leaving home. Glancing at the clock on the wall, you raised your eyebrows at the time. Had it already been two hours of writing? Albeit, there was a pile of crumbled papers.

Suddenly the door burst open, Philip rushed in, terror covering his face. Locking the door, he immediately went to the small kitchen, pushing the stove in front of the door.

“Philip?”

Hearing his name, his head jerked around as he met your gaze. Rushing over to you, he stopped, seeing you back away nervously.

“Y/n, please, I won’t…just let me explain,” he said, opening the manila folder.

“It started when you wanted to work at the Cabaret, I was so excited for you, I started an article, you were going to have an entire page. But…but then my brain began to get distorted and fuzzy, I could hardly think. Before I knew it, the article was on fire. I came to your show and I noticed someone”

“You came to my show before?”

“Always, after the first time, you came home gushing, I promised to try to make it,” he said, pulling out the stack of photos he continued.

“This man, he came to every show, front row, bringing you flowers,” he showed a series of pictures of Armand, some of the photos you were in. His arms around you, his lips pressed against your own.

“Philip-

“Just listen,” he shook his head, stopping you.

“I went to his theater, to confront him, to win my wife back, but then I found this, in his office,” he pulled out more photos.

“He has been watching you since we came here, from the time we arrived, there are photos of you taken. Then, I looked around, and what I saw, they aren't human, none of them. Those aren't plays, they're actual murderings,” he cried, showing the hardly developed pictures of the coffins and corpses in a box full of rats.

“I think he has been getting in my head, since I began to suspect him, I’ve felt like another person is living inside of me,” he said, wiping his tears.

“I waited until they all settled in for rest and I set the hell house on fire, we have to leave, now, we can go home, start fresh, leave all of this behind us,” he stressed.

Moving to your shared closet, he began to rip all of your clothing from the hangers, throwing them on the bed. You stood with your hand on your stomach, trying to process the photos. Indeed, there were photos of you from the moment you stepped off the boat. You didn't want to believe any of these bizarre claims, but here was the proof right in your face.

Unexpectedly, the stove was pushed out of the way, as the door burst open. Armand walked in, his hair slightly disheveled, the scariest glare set on Philip.

“Armand?” you called his name, hesitantly.

“Y/n, run,” Philip told you, as you jumped away from the table, the paper catching ablaze.

“Philip-

“Run, now,” he shoved you, right as Armand grabbed him. His hands around his throat, lifting him off the ground. Philip struggled, trying to free himself, gasping as fangs came out. Armand seemed to be growling at him, before sinking his teeth into him, determined to drain every ounce of blood from him.

“Run,” Philip strained, as you covered your mouth, rushing out the door.

Run, run, don't stop, keep running.

Your heart pounded, as you ran through the streets, gasping for air as you grew more tired. Afraid to look back, you kept going, you were sure you'd drop dead in fear seeing him behind you. Turning on nearly every corner, relief washed over, seeing a store owner closing his shop.

"Sir," you called out, as you jogged to him.

"No, no, I'm closing," he pointed at the sign.

"Please help me, he's going to get me," you cried, as the man finally turned to face you, genuinely concerned.

"Come in," he said, letting you into the store. As you came in, he locked the door behind you. With the adrenaline coming down, you could feel pain in your foot from stepping into the glass.

"We have to hide," you told the man, tugging at his sleeve.

"You go," he pointed to the back, before he went behind the counter, pulling a shotgun out.

Limping to the back of the store, looking back one more time, you screamed as the door burst open, the shop owner being killed instantly. As the elderly man fell to the floor, you cried out, before he appeared in front of you.

"Y/n," his eyes softened seeing your tear-stained face, all of your makeup running down, mixed with the tears.

"Please, don't kill me,” you cried, shaking your head.

“Shh, shh, there is no need to cry,” he consoled you, forcing your head into his chest.

“Why did you kill him?”

“Because he married you,” he admitted.

“What are you?”

“A vampire,” he shifted his eyes as you looked at his face.

“They weren’t acting,” you shook your head, trying to shove him away.

“Not at the end, no,” he confessed. Wrapping his arms you, he walked you out of the store. You continued to try to fight him, but he was much stronger, holding you effortlessly.

Lifting into the air, you gasped, realizing he was floating, no flying! Wrapping your arms around him, you shoved your face deeper into his soft coat. He smiled as one of his hands held your head.

“We were out hunting, when I noticed you, stepping off of the boat. I could hear your precious thoughts, you were sure you'd be the next big star. You had dreams but weren't putting yourself out there, so I sent Edward to you, and I made sure he paid you like the star you are,” Armand said, as his feet landed on top of the museum.

“I showered you with praise and gifts of all kinds, and yet you left every night, going back to him, what is it that he could possibly have that I couldn't give you?” he asked, a gloomy look in his eyes.

“He was my husband, he didn’t have much, but I loved him,” you cried.

“He wouldn’t have given you the opportunities you can have. He would work himself to death, not without cheating on you to fill the void within himself because he knew he could never give you the life he promised”

“You killed him,” you continued to cry. Rolling his eyes, he felt himself growing frustrated with you.

“Because I love you, I can love you better than his wretched human mind could ever think to fathom. I could give you the eternal gift, lavishing you, treasuring you, why can’t you see, has your love for me left that quickly?” he asked, as he grabbed your face, forcing you to look into his eyes.

Glamouring you, he hoped to find the truth, that your heart had turned cold at the sight of him. Wiping your eyes softly, his hand trailed to your lips, brushing against them softly.

“No,” you said, breathlessly.

“Then choose me, you have no need to fear me, we will be companions, equals, I, your maker, and you, my angel,” he said, a bloody tear slipping out of his eye. As he looked away, you snapped out of the trance, your heart ached to see Armand this way.

“I don't think I can forgive anytime soon, but I love you and I want you,” you told him, as you began to cry all over. Reaching towards his face, you wiped the blood away, before cupping his face in your hand. Searching your face for reassurance, you nodded.

“This will hurt for a short moment, but our eternity together will make up for it,” he told you, softly pecking your lips. Swiftly dipping you, you held onto him, as his fangs sank into your neck.

“Then what happened?” Daniel raised his voice, leaning towards you.

“I drank from him, and became his fledgling. I would say the rest is history, but it’s on the blog,” you laughed.

“You forgave him, just like that, after what he had done to Philip?”

“She actually took nearly a decade before I didn’t hear anything anymore,” Armand said, lifting your hand to his lips.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to a few things,” Daniel said, writing on his notebook.

“Okay, let’s hear it”

“Philip said that he came to your shows, nearly every single one, up until you were fired. But, during your time with Armand, he always seemed to working”

“He was saying a lot of things that night, him showing up to my shows was the least important thing to me at the time, but it was like 80 years ago, I don’t remember it like it was yesterday,” you laughed.

“I understand, Philip and Edward both spoke about an article, did this said article ever come about?”

“No-

“The fire was talked about, it took any attention from Y/n,” Armand interrupted.

“And what of the Cabaret? The Vampire Theater?”

“As far as we know, no one made it,” Armand said.

“The Cabaret went out of business a few years into my new life, I hear it’s a bakery now, you should visit,” you told him.

“If I’m not busy, I will think about it. What about your mother and brother?”

“I checked on them a few times, but the bloodline has ended with me,” you said, your smile faltering.

“I see,” he nodded, writing a note down.

“I trust you will do well with my story Daniel, reflecting on my past, I was a child, I didn’t have a real grasp of love and what it meant. I cared for Philip, he is who influenced my writing, but I can finally understand how much I didn’t actually love him,” you told him before he stopped the audio recording.

“Well, that’s it,” he sighed, saving the contents, before closing the computer.

“Lovely, would you like to stay for dinner?” you asked, as Daniel rubbed his head.

“No, I already made plans,” he said, his head feeling distorted and fuzzy.

“Awe, too bad, let me at least walk you to the door,” you stood, leading him to the front door of the spacious penthouse.

Sitting alone, Armand clenched his jaw, his eyes sharply piercing the air. Years upon years, nearly reversed in a single session. He could tell by the way Daniel was asking these questions, he wanted you to remember the obvious, but the truth was far too blurred for you to ever remember things how things were.

From the moment he saw you, he wanted you, filled with jealousy seeing you kiss him. He immediately began to find information about the two of you, watching from a distance. He did hear your thoughts, about how you wanted to be a star, which is why he sent Edward to you. The Cabaret had been nearby for some time now and hardly got any attention, you could work there for a while until you were ready for his stage.

Philip had been to nearly every show, but Armand was too far into your mind for you to ever notice him. Dancing and singing for the vampire alone, he had changed your memory too many times for you to even recount your performances. His breaking point was after stalking you, approaching your apartment, his heart shattered hearing you moan for him. The man he despised.

Lastly, he wished him turning you was as romantic as you made it out to be. After you told him you didn’t love him anymore, he promised that you would learn to love him again, before draining you. The thought of the fire infuriated him, his hate growing towards him. Philip ruined his plans and for that, he paid with his death. You were supposed to be turned, in the most beautiful way, becoming the lead actress at his theater. All of his plans, plans for you, the both of you, went to waste, because of him.

Armand knew some would come to this conclusion, and begin to question why. The answer was simple, so simple that many would hate him for his actions. He was jealous, seeing someone have what he wanted, so he took it. He had lived too long to care about his decisions hurting others and he held no regrets.

“Hey, are you coming to get ready for bed?” You asked, coming back to the entrance of the living room. Standing up, in an instant, he stood in front of me.

“Am I forgiven for my choices, my angel?” he asked, rubbing his face against your hands as you held his cheeks.

“You don't have to ask, don't let this story get to you, it's in our past,” you told him, furrowing your eyebrows at him.

“I love you,” he smiled, kissing your lips.

“I love you too,” you told him, kissing him once more.

“I'll join you soon,” he said, watching as you turned, walking away.

Armand would never admit how prideful and monstrous his nature could be. Selfishly, he has taken you away from any and everything you knew, keeping you all to himself. However, none of these things mattered, he had won, in the end. You were a star, only meant to perform on his stage.

[nightcolorz]

Could you tell me your interpretation of why the Devil's minion split up after qotd? I only read up to that book and i've been learning through spoilers

omg I love this question! I personally think it was sort of an inevitability. Armand and Daniel were super unstable, on and off again-y while Daniel was human, and the binding factor that kept them together was that Armand was a vampire and Daniel was a human. Daniel can’t stay away from Armand for long because he’s obsessed and enthralled with everything monstrous and other about him (he’s also quite literally addicted to his blood). Daniel is so attached to Armand partly I think because he desperately wants to experience vampirism and after the affair with Louis he can’t see a reality for himself without vampirism in his life—whenever he tries to live normally he has that nagging reminder that their r supernatural wonderful things he will never be a part of and it drives him crazy.

Armand is in love with Daniel because he’s fascinated by all the things that make Daniel human. He considers him his link to the “modern age” and the thing that connects him to what he craves the most (humanity). Armand finds it very difficult to connect with people and by extension the world after how isolated he’s been for a good chunk of his immortality, and connection is very important to him. Daniel is how he experiences that. Armand also I think very much envies humans and wishes in a way to return to his humanity, and in this he finds experiencing humanity through daniel and seeing it in him very enthralling and special. Also Armand considers Daniel a mirror to how he was as a human (immature, lustful, brave, obsessed with the supernatural, doomed to failure), and Armand is very very frightened of seeing someone who he considers an embodiment of all he loves about humanity and a representative of the naivety he once had fall down his same path and loose it all to madness and immortal hell.

and obviously this is a huge issue!! Because Daniel loves Armand for his vampirism and Armand loves Daniel for his humanity, and both of them fundamentally want to abandon the thing the other prizes them for. But the tragedy there is that it’s not so superficial!! They also just love each other in a simpler, more personal sense. Daniel feels free with Armand, he feels like he can be the insane person he rlly is when they’re together. Armand gives Daniel access to the type of unhinged freedom and intense connection that he wants from life. He’s a walking subject Daniel can study, someone who never stops being fascinating (perfect for a journalist). And he loves his layers and his complexity, all the gross and horrible parts of him. Daniel first falls for Armand when he hears him genuinely laugh. <3, For armand, Daniel basically the only person who’s rlly ever seen him for who he is and loved him for it. Armand has a pattern of being shaped by people into something else, or misperceived and loved for that false image, and Daniel is in love with all the worst parts of armand. He loves him for everything he is, Daniel even says he’s an Armand expert lol. He sees it all and he loves it. And Armand is experiencing this type of unconditionality for the first time. There’s real connection there! The issue is that despite this so much of their relationship is built upon the vampire and human dynamic and it’s super hard to move past that.

The choice that Armand makes when he turns Daniel is “do I value Daniel more then I value his humanity and what that represents” and of course, Armand chooses Daniel, even tho it breaks him to do what he considers to be unforgivable to this person he loves so deeply. Armand vowed very early on that he would never turn a person into a vampire. And it’s cuz Armand rlly doesn’t like being a vampire 😭 He knows he wasn’t supposed to be a vampire, his maker goes around talking all the time about how armand was a mistake he should have never made and he’s fucked up bcus of how vampirism has affected him. And Armand knows that bcus of this he is a distortion of whatever person he could have been, and he’s always longing to understand part of what he’s missing. it’s rlly pretty sad. And so it makes sense that Armand would hate to take on the responsibility of, as he sees it, potentially ruining someone he loves. But he’d rather have Daniel alive than dead, so he turns him. Already this is hard on Armand bcus he considers it a selfish defeat to turn Daniel, choosing his own feelings over what he knows would be best for him. Daniel meanwhile is thrilled. Not off to a great start already

so Daniel was turned under insane circumstances and Armand and him have very little time to process any of it. Daniel is afraid to take life which isn’t abnormal in itself, but it freaks them both out. Once the insanity of queen of the damned settles down and Daniel and Armand r living together as a vampire x vampire couple at night island the issues begin to set in. There’s a huge disconnect now, Daniel is thrilled to be experiencing vampirism as he’s always wanted, Armand is grieving daniels humanity, neither of them r talking about it. Also, Daniel still has his addictive personality and his mental health issues which r exasperated by being a new vampire, so ofc he’s kind of loopy and kind of unstable. And Armand is realizing this and he’s thinking oh my god I’ve ruined Daniel I’ve destroyed the person I love the most, I’ve taken this person who I consider just like myself when I was a human and I’ve repeated the cycle of destruction, I destroy everything I touch oh my god. And I imagine this thought pattern led to Armand distancing himself from Daniel and being agitated and off putting, and I can say that being rlly excited about a change that ur partner is passive aggressively hostile about is like actual hell.

And the kicker!!! Armand’s primary mode of communication with his loved ones is the mind gift. It’s basically his safety net, in tvl it’s explained that Armand rarely ever talks out loud because he finds speaking through his mind much more comfortable. He uses the mind gift to express his feelings when he can’t with words, which is a pretty handy tool in a relationship when ur someone who struggles with verbal communication. But when Armand turns Daniel!! He can not communicate through the mind gift with him anymore!! So basically all these issues Armand is having and all this grief and stress and resentment is being left unsaid, and therefore unresolved. A couple can nottt get over an issue they aren’t talking about.

I imagine Armand felt like daniels vampirism was a huge barrier blocking him from ever connecting with him as he did ever again. Which!! Obviously Daniel will notice that Armand is giving up on him, and old patterns begin to resurface. They don’t have the “Daniel wants to be a vampire but Armand doesn’t want to turn him” argument anymore, but they do have a tension that is being left both unresolved and not understood by either party. All they know is the spark is fading and there’s resentment and there’s pain. And that tension, with these crazies, results in big blow out yelling matches and crying and “I’m leaving u for good this time I mean it!!”

so in conclusion, what I think happened with Daniel and Armand after qotd is that combined with his preexisting issues and his vampirism inflicted overstimulation, Armand’s bitterness and his distance drives Daniel to a mental break, and after some fight or another he leaves night island and vows to never return. Daniel is in a very vulnerable mental state as an already mentally ill new vampire. Vampirism has a very overwhelming effect on some people where the change to sensory processing makes it hard for some vampires to function fully on their on because of how difficult it is for them to process information. And daniels got that. I feel like he could have possibly made it through well with a strong support system, open communication, and guidance on how to navigate this new life, but obviously he didn’t have that.

When Daniel was a human he’d do this often, leaving, but then he’d realize he couldn’t live without Armand and come back. But when Daniel is so out of his mind he gets distracted by a light bulb or smth, he doesn’t come back. Maybe he would have if he was in his right mind, but he’s lost it and there’s not the safety net of Armand’s mind gift to come and locate him. So Marius finds him, decides that Armand is too broken and immature to ever care for his own fledgling, and he takes him in. And I figure that Armand’s guilt becomes unbearable after this, and he internalizes the assumption that he isn’t fit to have his own functioning relationships bcus of his issues, and he gives up on Daniel completely. Of course until the pl trilogy when they r able to re connect!

so yeah!! That’s my interpretation, loved this ask thank u for letting me yap. I hope this was coherent lol. Thank u sm!

[loumandivorce]

@vampirejournalist started iwtv fanfic friday and i'm here to participate totally on time and not an hour before saturday begins with some LOUMAND FIC RECS as demanded by my url. here are some bangers.

Bloodletting, explicit, series

Even though we've had our ups and downs.

[“I love you,” Armand whispers. Louis swallows against a painful throat. “Sure, honey,” he says. “I love you.” Like saying it again will make it stick. “I know,” Louis says. Armand whispers it a third time, and Louis closes his eyes so he won’t have to look at him when he says, “I’m not gonna say it back, honey.”]

this is a series and it's number one on the rec list because it's truly The loumand series of all time there is nothing that gets them better. chances are you've read one or two of these but the entire series is absolutely insane. hot and disgusting and vulnerable and heartbreaking and makes me feel crazy.

A Chill That Follows, explicit

He leans down to kiss Armand, cradling the back of his neck in his hand. He smiles when he feels rather than hears Armand sigh against his lips, pleased—as if he’s receiving a gift. It’s almost absurd, to think that he was threatening to kill him less than half an hour ago. “What’s absurd is that threatening to kill you was what finally got you to put out for him,” a dismissive, familiar voice says behind him. Shit.

armand is fighting for his LIFE. delicious read

Triptych (Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion), teen

The five of them— Louis, Armand, the figures at the crucifixion— sit together, far too much alike, deformed creatures with teeth that shine in the dark. They all come apart in pieces.

[Why they bought the Bacon triptych, and why Armand sold it.]

really interesting character study on the trifecta in relation to armand

The Cord That Goes Winding Out The Door, teen

There had never been a time proper in his life where Louis wasn’t surrounded by others, but this was the first time that he had felt permanently connected; eternally un-alone. Another being tied to him, a constant brushing of shoulders against his being.

birthing imagery as horror 😊

1,001 nights, mature

The last time Louis saw the ocean up close was—1998. An island off of Miami. Flat, breezeless night.

Or: shards of the past seventy-seven years.

loumand failmarriage through the decades.

dirges, explicit

They fell into a holding pattern for a while in the seventies, in the years before Daniel. Perhaps it was not so long as years, but time dilated, as it was, in Armand’s experience, sometimes wont to do, and it stretched into a small eternity, syrupy and neon-lit, of Louis throwing himself onto swords, chasing and chasing, Armand trailing after with the end of the leash.

practically a loumand heritage fic. written pre s2 but managed to predict so many key parts of their dynamic.

Alexandria, explicit

Louis, glitteringly modern as Armand has always found him, is an excellent tourist, throwing himself into the wholehearted pursuit of the city with an almost manic zeal. Thunderingly alive in Paris, thunderingly alive in Alexandria, thunderingly alive for the rest of their lives, wherever they might be.

loumand in egypt! almost feels like a slice of life in a way, reading this makes you feel like this is really how they spent those 77 years together. the perfect undercurrent of tragedy and bitterness and, of course, love.

acts of collision, explicit

Armand misses Louis like a man about town misses his favourite whore. He misses what only one person is horrid enough to do to him. And Daniel wouldn't even suggest it, if he couldn't feel how Louis misses Armand in the exact same way.

this one is sort of cheating because its a loumandiel fic from daniel's pov, but it's so so good. set in a nebulous post s2 future where daniel invites louis to do a bdsm scene with armand because they both miss each other but armand quite literally Doesn't Talk to louis the whole time. rlly fascinating

the crowning evil, explicit

Armand stood, back to the window, unblinking, tension carrying itself in his frame. Liar, Louis thought. All he could think. Centuries old monster playing at being a boy. A boy pretending to be a man. Unworthy in both roles. Something akin to revulsion clawed up his throat, but it couldn't be, not really, he was too burnt to a husk to muster it in its completeness.

“Come here,” Louis said, his voice dropping.

Armand stepped forward, eyes going wide and hopeful and hungry in half a second. “Yes, Maître.”

“You’re still on that?” Louis asked.

this is just self promo im ngl 💗 but i'm confident enough that my own fic is good so. loumand having despair sex before going to meet lestat in paris in 2.08

this ended up being pretty long but loumand writers when they get it right write such beautiful fics 💗 thank you wonderful iwtc writers. happy fanfic friday/saturday!

[bludkin]

Last month, I said I wanted to read more gen fics, so I figured I'd share one of my favourite series. It was completed recently!

Family Ties by @gender-snatched

If you love the trope of Daniel's daughters finding out about Armand and their relationship, you'll love this. Fantastic original characters, deep character studies and it's hilarious too (the Thanksgiving fic has got to be the BEST example of an escalating perfect storm). If you've ever wanted to read a fic where Armand gets a bestie, this is it.

Give it a look and send the author some love ✨

[rapha-reads]

IWTV rewatch

(how to resume the second half of this episode: *Captain Holt's voice* paiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin)

Season 1 episode 5 [A Vile Hunger For Your Hammering Heart] - part 2/2

- The way Louis' face is still as a statue as Loustat make their plans. The way you can feel the resentment covering the entire house.

- Lestat immediately shutting down going to Paris.

- And now welcome to the portion I'd like to call "Claudia Suffered More Than [insert your favourite martyr figure here]". Oof, Bruce immediately gives off a bad vibe, more than that white student who is after all only reproducing classic patterns of racism and classism.

- [Louis] "As the depression set in on the nation, I barricaded myself within the dilapidating walls of 1132 Rue Royale, educating myself from Lestat's library, ignoring all other duties of the role Claudia once mocked me for - the unhappy housewife." - was the raccoon really necessary? It is a nice touch, I won't lie, but really hammering in the point: the depression Louis talks about isn't just the Great Depression, it's his own (I like hammering points too, sorry). But you know what, I WISH I could lock myself wherever my books are and just ignore the whole fucking world and everyone in it for 3 or 4 years.

- [Louis] "Flaubert's style is so dense." - L'éducation sentimentale is, I'll admit it, a horror to read (but less than Le Rouge et le Noir, Stendhal really gave it his whole to make that one unbearable). Madame Bovary on the other hand is a gem.

[Lestat] "Louis Armstrong is in town tonight, playing at the Pelican" - when a bookworm introvert dates a music addict extrovert - beware the conflicting schedules and discordant ambiances. (In which I am Louis and the perfect day is a quiet day with classic music playing lowly in the background and a pile of books)

[Lestat] "You sound like every pompous Sorbonne student I've ever eaten." - ... As a former Sorbonne student, I have absolutely nothing to say in my defence (I studied French and English literature and linguistics for a year with a minor in audio-visual media, fyi). I am sadly very self-aware of how pompous I sound whenever I start talking literature. Sorry not sorry. (would absolutely not protest if Lestat decides to give me a visit. Ahem. Who said that.)

- [Lestat] "'You draw me into your gloom.' [Louis] 'It's your fault she's gone. If you hadn't pushed her... ' [Lestat] 'Claudia.' [Louis] 'If you hadn't done your...' [Lestat] 'Claudia, Claudia. I cannot listen to this insanity about Claudia one more time, bordel de merde.'"

I know we justifiably talk about Armand's "Lestat, Lestat, Lestat" litany, but Lestat's "Claudia" is quite good too.

Also, can't quite decipher what Lestat says in French there. English accent too thick. I think it's "ils me chient dans la main [gibberish]" ("they" or maybe "he shits in my hand") but don't quote me on that.

- Bruce's been stalking Claudia for a while, huh. And interesting to note that it's partly Louis' fault, his repetitive calls to Claudia that attracted his attention.

- Louis's destroying that table. I'm going to focus on that instead of whatever happened to Claudia or what Louis's doing to Daniel, no thanks. Just like how Armand immediately calms Louis down, and gonna cheer for that slap, good one, Daniel, well deserved, about time.

- [Lestat] "It could be her, but I am the one who is currently standing in front of you, and unlike Claudia, I am a full-blooded adult... with all the right appendages. So if all my considerable considerables continue to be squandered..."

'Stat... Yeah, I have nothing to say.

- [Grace] "Whoever you are that took my Louis" - yeaaah, if one of my sibling would say that to me, I think I'd just crumble and shut down. But at the same time, kudos to Grace for having the strength to bury her brother while he's standing in front of her and keeping whatever secrets he's guarding.

- [Claudia] "I spent time following Louis and Lestat now that I am my own woman, with no obvious sense of why I follow them, other than meaning slowly disintegrates without them... my companions in immortality. But today at the cemetery, I finally understood something so obvious, which I pondered for a decade... why they made me. To be Louis' sister."

*silently sobbing* It's the way Louis knows that passage by heart, and the way Claudia's prose keeps on being heartbreaking.

It's how Louis curls around his pain, and how Claudia makes herself taller in the face of this pain. It's how they don't even need more than an embrace and a word to make it better. It's how siblings who have gone through the same shit know each other so intimately. It's how that's the moment Claudia goes from daughter to sister.

- [Lestat] "The vampires out there are vicious. Oh. But you knew that already. Who did you meet out there in the American hinterland?" - oh, you are being especially awful, Lestat. I love you but you are being unfair. Even if you fear loneliness and abandonment, even if you've just went through seven years of not getting a single kind word or affectionate gesture from Louis... Lashing out, refusing to tell Claudia the truth about European vampires, the cruelty, the violence... No, that's not a good reason for it. But then again you wouldn't be Lestat if you didn't lash out when terrified and angry.

- Ouch. Contrasting that fight seen through Claudia's perspective with the s2 scene seen through Louis and Lestat's... Shivering. This is baaaaad.

Oh, no, no, no, no, I don't wanna see that part. I don't want to have to think about it and analyse it.

Man, I had forgotten how much that episode fucking hurts.

No, but the way Louis won't even say "I don't love you" not just because he won't give Lestat that satisfaction, because he lives to be stubborn and contrary, but maybe also because after all, after everything, that would still be a lie, and Louis doesn't lie; he forgets, he obfuscates, he redirects, he refashions his memories, but he doesn't lie... Even when his own life depends on it.

Episode insider:

Rolin Jones saying for Claudia "why was I the thing to make up for your mistakes". Yeah.

"This is where we start building the Anne Rice universe. As Lestat rightfully warned her there are wolves around the corner."

"It's the kid that goes 'My parents weren't all that bad. I have gone out and seen life. It is not all easy and conquerable'. And she comes back with hat half in hand, but with a mission - to take the good vampire and continue on with her life, and that is at odds with the other vampire in the house."

"It is about the fight of Louis, the fight for Louis's soul. I mean, in the end, it's 'Everbody Loves Louis', isn't it?" - Louis is catnip for vampires. And honestly I can relate. Did I say lately he's my favourite too...

That shot of Lestat hovering in the air all dressed in black with his hair floating around him while Claudia covers Louis's broken body with hers... Enraged Angel. Oh, that's worthy of a full oil on canvas painting.

Alright. That was harsh. And we're so not done. We love angst and tragedy, yey! *sobbing*

episode 1 | episode 2 | episode 3 | episode 4 | part 1 | episode 6 | episode 7

[weather-mood]

Chronological Canon Compliant Rec List

For ‘A Meal to Remember’ fanfic appreciation event <3 A list of canon-compliant (and canon adjacent) fics!

Avoiding too many double-ups here so see the Loumand list for more Loumand-centric fic recs (plus a bingo card!)

Pre-IWTV Paris

To Pluck Gently At Strings (M) by @iwtvdramacd18 (Nicki x Armand in Paris!)

IWTV New Orleans

among the wildflowers (T) by ipsilateral (Pre-show, beautiful Louis character study)

all the blood involved in love (M) by @gayvampiredivorce (Ep 1, Louis’s memories of the early days of Lestat’s courtship)

the harrow, the tiller (E) by @baberainbowao3 (Ep 2, Louis's first night as a vampire, fever dream in the best way possible)

grab the rings of saturn (E) by verseau (Ep 2, Louis and Lestat consummate their marriage)

pietà by @enterprisery (Ep 3, Grace and grief)

Babyfather (T) by @nlbv (Ep 4, Louis character study, Claudia's first night in the coffin)

Bury Me Deep Inside Your Heart (E) by @prouvaireafterdark (Ep 4, coffin sex)

Roadkill (E) by @baberainbowao3 and @nlbv (Ep 4 era, a family trip to the circus, insane)

After the Storm (E) by Anonymous (Ep 6 reunion scene, mind the tags)

Scenes From a Marriage series (E) by @nlbv (Truly harrowing post-ep5 scenes, sex as character study, brilliantly written, they make me want to claw the wallpaper off the walls and sob)

Paris

ad infinitum (E) by peripheralaudio (adaption of the iconic tower scene)

vanishing point (E) (loumand motorcycle sex!) by @knifeeater

Interlude: Post-Paris, Pre-Dubai

Dirges (E) by @wordforworldisforest (iconic loumand work, has never left my brain, a seminal work)

Prey Drive (E) (unhinged loumand roleplay) by @iwtvdramacd18 and selfsame (E) (glory holes) by @vampdf aka insane loumand at its best

thy fearful symmetry (E) by mothmaiden (Daniel, Armand, and Louis threesome before the interview)

long live the car crash hearts (M) by exastris_scientia (Daniel and Louis crash a car)

a ghost is a memory (T) by @quensty + a memory is a ghost (regret, regret) (M) by @enterprisery (Daniel and Louis meetings remixed)

In a similar vein, middle aged Daniel getting re-seduced by Armand before being made to forget: Perfection (E) by @bandedbulbussnarfblat , i love you like an alcoholic (E) by @quensty and all i got left (is my bones) (E) by @enterprisery

Dubai

a memo from human resources by nestorius (human Rashid!)

And for every kind stranger , there is one who would break you (G) by ABigScaryBat (Armand watches Daniel sleep)

nothing but teeth series (G to M) by @gayvampiredivorce (series of oneshots and fics related to the interview, great character studies, written while the series was airing)

A trail of honey (M) by @butchybats (Armand and Daniel have sexual tension in the kitchen feat. a little knifeplay)

Grouse (T) by @iwtvdramacd18 (Louis eats a bird!) and Alluvium (E) (oral sex and geomorphology) by @knifeeater aka fics inspired by this piece of Pink's gorgeous art

out of cape cod tonight (E) by exastris_scientia (Armand and Daniel play mind games)

And he was mine (E) by watertiger (Louis and Daniel dance)

Post Season 1 Dubai

Lethe series (E) by @knifeeater (Daniel in the Loumand torture labyrinth of Dubai (where he belongs))

little kidnaps in the dark (M) by @gayvampiredivorce (Dubai trio longfic, phenomenal character work, plotting, and more!)

[sonofcelluloid]

this playlist is literally perfect, thank you so much! its just the vibe i needed to force me through my dissertation whilst dreaming of devils minion lol

this makes me so happy!! i really am so proud of that playlist, if i can supply visions of Armand and Daniel’s hypothetical 50 year long psychosexual love story dancing like sugarplum fairies to aid you in your studies, my purpose is served🫡💞

thank you so much for listening❤️

[monstersinthecosmos]

List 7 comfort films and tag 7 people!

Tagged by @ihaventcomeupwthanameforaheroyet ! thanks!! I WROTE DOWN A FEW FAVS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD (IN NO ORDER) AND HAD 9, SO, I THINK IWTV 1994 GOES WITHOUT SAYING LMFAO, ALSO HONORABLE MENTION TO AMERICAN PSYCHO BC IT MAKES ME LAUGH MY ASS OFF EVERY TIME BUT I ULTIMATELY CUT IT FROM THIS PRESITIGOUS LIST.

is it obnoxious if i put some pictures in the post too? Sorry I get really excited to talk about movies hkjdslgasd please don't feel obligated to put pictures in yours, I'm just being extra.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day [1991]

LISTEN I CRY EVERY FUCKING TIME it's just the best, ROBOT DADDY??? HOT MOMMY???? The T-1000 is so scary?? ALL THESE RIDICULOUS EPIC FIGHT SCENES AND THE ACTORS ARE JUST NOT EMOTING AT ALL BECAUSE THEY'RE ROBOTS? The director's cut with the extra scene where John is trying to teach the Terminator to smile and you realize when he does his little side smirk it's because he's copying John's smile, bc when he copied randos it didnt fit on his face?!??! Eddie Furlong's voice cracking which feels like such a happy accident because he's a weak little fragile human in contrast to the killing machine?? PLEASE.

Hellraiser [1987]

IT'S WEIRD, IT'S KINKY, IT'S GAY, IT'S CHEESY, IT'S GOT PRACTICAL EFFECTS THAT ARE KINDA COOL BUT KINDA STUPID, IT'S GOT THE GRAINY 80S COZY FEEL, IT'S GOT INCREDIBLE FEMALE SEXUALITY AND BAD ACTING, I JUST LOVE IT. It's just a movie I put on when I need to relax and wow it just makes me really happy ;.;

Pet Sematary [1989]

okay this one and the next one and the last one are all GRAINY 80S COZY FEEL, you have to understand that I grew up watching 80s horror from like the age of 5 so that flim look, the grain, the flat lighting, it just !!!!!!! gives me so much cozy fuzzy warmth for childhood and I just adore it. Anyway !!!!!!1 I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH it's so extremely dark and also extremely absurd, somehow it's so magnetic that you are immediately immersed even though it's got the aesthetic of a bad TV movie, it's just wonderful I adore it. ALSO a rare super faithful Stephen King adaptation!

An American Werewolf in London [1981]

PRACTICAL EFFECTS MY BELOVED!!!!!!!!11 blah blah cozy 80s, but also! FUNNY! ROMANTIC! TRAGIC! SCARY WHEN IT NEEDS TO BE! I'm so deeply deeply impressed by the practical effects in this film, too! But wow it's so good every time, the hot nurse in this movie is a crazy monsterfucker I adore her, it's a good Armand/Daniel AU, the end is a gut punch every fucking time, it's the best, a naked American man stole my balloons, etc. Absolutely perfect film.

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain [2001]

VISUALLY STUNNING FILM ABOUT AN ASEXUAL WOMAN WITH SOCIAL ANXIETY, PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. I think this movie like, changed my life maybe? I think I saw it when I was 15 or so and it just had such a huge impact on me. I used to watch it so much I would just turn the subtitles off because I'd get distracted and didnt even need them anymore. It's a movie I used to bring with me when I traveled, like I brought the DVD with me when I studied abroad because I was so scared I'd have anxiety or get homesick, I just always wanted to be able to watch it if I need to. IF I WATCH THIS AT THE WRONG TIME OF THE MONTH I CRY MY EYES OUT which is cathartic in the end, idk if it's comfy or comforting but wow. but wow really amazing film it's so beautiful and had such a huge impact on my worldview and my creativity and the way I write and the way I do photography and just !!! ;.; I'm gonna cry!

The Departed [2006]

I really like it when Leo DiCaprio cries and he's not a super crybaby in his one but he does scream in pain and have the shit beat out of him and has panic attacks and needs anxiety meds! The cast is sick! The music is amazing! It's such cool storytelling!!! It's exciting every time! The ending fucks! GOD. Just wonderful, I love it so much. The Blu-ray starts over every time it ends so every time I watch it I tend to walk away and let it loop all day LOL. It's disgusting how many times I've watched it. ALSO MY BABE VERA FARMIGA WHAT A MILF god i love her.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall [2008]

this is like such a perfect comedy for my sense of humor, INCLUDING A BONUS DRACULA SUBPLOT CAN YOU BELIEVE IT, but is actually such a clever and lovely story about getting over heartbreak wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love this movie so fucking much oh my god. Also ever since I worked on ships I feel like especially potent to it because there's something about the social community within the resort that feels so much like the community of a cruise ship crew!! ;.;

Tagging (but no pressure!): @rugbertgoeshome @hekateinhell @mothmage @apoptoses @cup-of-lixx @somevagrantchild @covenofthearticulate

[dwreader]

A Meal to Remember hosted by @iwtvfanevents

Part 1: One Shots/Short Fics

These are only a handful of my favorites. I tried to pick one per writer so I could spread more love around but do check out all works by each one mentioned here as they are all super talented.

among the wildflowers (T) by ipsilateral - probably my favorite louis character study about his family, relationship with jonah and life before lestat, which we sadly do not see enough of in fic.

babyfather (T) by nlbv - louis's first night with the new baby claudia is so heartbreaking and sweet and 100% canon to me. made me so so sad though!!

the night island (E) by vampdf - this mob wife loumand au is everything i ever wanted. also ft deadbeat loser lestat. enough said discover the rest for yourself.

rumpelstiltskin (E) by weathermood - 10/10 insane loumand vibes, absolutely unhinged levels of sexy bdsm, also this is the most romantic thing in the world to me.

put on your records and regret meeting me (E) by dreamtiwasanarchitect - this was one of the first fics i read in this fandom that i felt really captured the sexy toxic dynamic of loustat. warning i would definitely consider this dubcon!

dirges (E) by boltcutters - very unsafe and romantic (to me) loumand dynamic. that second chapter omg…. your brain is too big.

nothing left to give you now (E) by gaypiratedivorce - i haven't read much fic with daniel but this danlou is soooo good and has the perfect dynamic (daniel is down bad for louis). old daniel is my only daniel!!!

lucky lucky boy (E) by dirtygoldensoul - adorable trophy wife louis au where lestat is a billionaire and louis has a bellyring. hilarious appearances by armand and mother-in-law gabrielle. every line is so funny.

raw wound as a destination (T) by The_Lame_Goat - angst heavy loumand that deals with one of their most traumatic issues in a way that’s so believable.

paragon (E) by thelioncourts - hot as hell lestat pov loustat which means a lot of louis worship exactly as god intended.

firecracker (E) by baberainbow - one of babe's MANY many crimes but i chose this one cause it has the perfect loustat + claudia family dynamic of ep4.

heavy empty (E) by wayunderground - sexy messed up loustat which is exactly as they should be. does such a great job with the maker/fledging, teacher/student dynamic.

grab the rings of saturn (E) by verseau- hot!!!!! louis’s first night as a vampire with lestat and losing his you know what.. so many unhinged and romantics lines.

[desertfangs]

Valenfangs - Day 3 - Diamond

This is part 1 of 4 interconnected

💎 Diamond in the Rough 💎

Lestat/Daniel, Armand/Daniel - 2783 words - Mature

This is part 1 of 4 interconnected stories in a series I'm calling The Amethyst Ring which feature different characters and take place at different times but basically revolve around Daniel and Armand.

This was written for the @valenfangs prompt "diamond." (All stories in this series were written for a prompt.)

Summary: February, 1987. Daniel and Lestat search through the Night Island cellar for the perfect Valentine's Gift for Louis and discuss the situation they find themselves in with everyone on the island together.

Short Excerpt:

Daniel typed in the code. The keypad’s light turned an angry red. Daniel sighed. He tried another number, his own mortal birthday. Armand used Daniel’s birthday for almost everything. Again, a red light.

“Are you sure you’re supposed to go in there?” Lestat asked. “Seems as though you’ve been locked out.”

Daniel scowled at him. “It’s my house.” 

“So you claim,” Lestat said, studying his fingernails, which he’d painted black earlier in the evening. “But Armand is the little master here.”  

Daniel typed in another number. No dice. That was try number three. If his next one failed, it’d lock him out for the rest of the night unless he could get on Armand’s computer and figure out the override. Armand had taken Louis to the mainland, so he wasn’t around to unlock it. 

“Is this really necessary? Isn’t there a jeweler on this island of yours?” Lestat asked. 

“I thought you wanted something special,” Daniel said. “We have treasure from sunken ships down here. Stuff pilfered from the trickiest thieves. You won’t find this stuff at a jewelry store.” 

Lestat leaned in close from behind him, putting his lips against Daniel’s ear. “Or you just want to get me alone.” 

Daniel elbowed him in the stomach. Lestat grinned and ruffled his hair. Louis had been right, he was incorrigible. 

Read the Rest on AO3

[butchybats]

fic rec ask! 👀😊🥰🛳️🤩

Thank you for asking!!

4. 👀 A fic that you love a normal amount

Your Favorite Innocence by @hekateinhell I’m so normal about this fic so normal. Definitely have not read it dozens of times nope. But joking aside holy shit. Fic of all time. Hall of fame, even. My favorite trope ever is rule 63 and then you combine that with devil’s minion pwp and yeah it’s literally impossible for me to be normal about it. I love how they both feel so in character despite being gender swapped and it’s fluffy and sweet and literally the hottest thing ever

6. 😊 A fic that made you smile on a bad day

on an ordinary sunday by @keepoffthetardis when this was published I was feeling so awful, I had had a migraine for days and a fever and I was visiting family so I felt bad for being sick and aghh. I remember waking up and seeing the email that this was published and got so excited! I immediately fell asleep for another three hours after reading but so worth it. This fic is such a perfect combo of angst and fluff and luckily it was just enough fluff to brighten my spirits. The part specifically where Daniel is drinking sweet wine because Armand likes it… torn between wailing and grinning like a fool :]

8. 🥰 A fic that gives you warm fuzzy feelings

In the Blood by @desertfangs THIS IS SOOO!!! Omg it’s so sweet. The night island content we deserve like genuinely you can’t convince me that this wasn’t what was happening after everyone left night island. Vampire Daniel is so dear to me and I love him still having his mortal mannerisms and being nervous that he’s not what Armand wants even though Armand is so so in love with him and is also worried about him and aghh this fic knocks me out in the best way possible

11. 🛳 A fic that brought you aboard a new ship

July 30: Aftercare by @translouisdpdl so this isn’t a romantic pairing so maybe it doesn’t count as a ship but i don’t care <3 I need more Armand and Nicki fics their dynamic is so fucked up and fun! And this fic is so so good I’ve reread it a couple of times now, the imagery is so nice and it has body horror and Armand being scary and then sweet literally what more do you need in a fic

14. 🤩 A fic that made you SLAM that “subscribe” button

Issues by @graygiantess in which Daniel is way too into the ‘boyfriend is a vampire thing’. A bit of a character study and very hot!! Absolutely love the way that amc Armand and Daniel are written in her fics

[nattosushi]

Thoughts on Armand from IWTV 2022

First of all, I tend to get biased with characters that I like, and this usually means that I would end up choosing the most favourable interpretation as well as giving them the benefit of the doubt. While I know that everyone has different views and doesn’t mind hearing them, I am also very stubborn in regard to my views. So a lot of the time, it would be an agree to disagree situation. And Assad Zaman has become my current celebrity crush, which makes me even more biased. So, if you are still reading this, don’t say that I didn’t warn you.

Also- am I bad person for loving Armand in episode 5?

In regard to my background regarding the Vampire Chronicles. These are the books I have read

Interview with the vampire

The vampire Lestat

The Queen of the Damned

Pandora

The vampire Armand

Merrick

Blood and Gold

I always feel that Armand’s book is the last of the traditional biography of the said vampire. Even though ‘Blood and Gold’ is Marius’ story, I feel that in addition to a large part of his story being told by Armand and Pandora, he did not really add anything new in his book. Ironically, I feel that he made himself look worse by trying to tell his story. But upon reading Armand’s book, Armand immediately became my favourite character. And Assad Zaman did such a good job that I think even if I didn’t already like Armand, I might have liked him anyway.

This does result in the question of how far should we stay true to the book? At one hand, Armand’s appearance is definitely something most readers have a very strong image of, but at the other hand, the actor did a perfect job portraying Armand despite his physical appearance being a complete contrast of the book. By staying completely true to the book, Assad Zaman would never have been chosen, which means we miss out on this amazing actor and his performance. His Armand is just perfect with that sense of hidden power and tranquil fury.

Season 1

I actually started watching the whole series already knowing that Rashid is Armand, but I would definitely have been surprised at the reveal if I did not. Because Armand is probably one of the characters that the reader has a very strong image of in regard to his personal appearance- a seventeen years old youth with red hair. Who is also Eastern European/Russian with a strong Eastern Orthodox association.

This is pretty much the opposite of Rashid, who is in his twenties and is of Asiatic appearance. His ‘race’ as Rashid is never made clear, since Daniel guessed that he was from Uzbekistan, and could be of Kazakh or Crimean Tartar heritage. Just because the actor is of South Asian heritage- his parents are both from Bangladesh, it does not mean that the TV character would be from there too. All that it implies is that he is not Caucasian, ie.not where book Armand is from.

There is also the issue of Rashid being a Muslim, and I think this is a deliberate red herring, because Armand in Season 2 never once prayed or even make any mentioning of his heritage. It is a rather elaborate ruse, but I would like to point out that this is the person who brought a whole island, as well as spending months studying a certain appliance. So if anyone would do this, it would be him. But we obviously never get any clear image of Armand’s character, saved for the last five minutes, where he toss the book to Daniel (and I totally love that scene).

Season 2

I did not start binge watching the series until I read the script for the last episode. But even without doing that, I feel that Armand and Louis were not going to stay together. So I wasn’t really surprised at them parting, but what surprised me was that I started watching with the hope that they would somehow stay together, to feeling that the two of them should part. I don’t think that they are good for one another. Just as Armand is bad for Louis, Louis is bad for Armand too. Even though Armand was manipulating Louis’ memory and clinging onto the other, Louis is also taking advantage of Armand too, I feel that he is pushing Armand into doing things that the other does not want to, as well as relying on the others to protect and help him without actually reciprocating.

The whole maître thing really bugs me because it overrides into their daily life, which is problematic when Armand is actually victim of various rape and trauma due to being sold to a brothel, as well as being victim of grooming by Marius that does involve sexual trauma. Not to mention the additional factor of him being given to others, which, at the most generous view, is still that of manipulation (and that is presuming Armand did not mind too much, which is most likely not the case, which is why I say this is the most generous view, and even that is still not good).

One could argue that Armand made the conscious choice, but did he really understand? This might simply be because this is all that he knew. But unlike Armand, Louis should have known better, especially given what he went through with Lestat. This is almost a case of victim turned abuser. Although that is my biased pro-Armand view, because Armand could have refused, since he is still much more powerful. But I feel that given his mental state and his fear of losing someone he loves, he would simply submit to whatever the other person want.

I think that a reason that Louis called Armand boring is because Armand is completely pacifying and catering to Louis. Even though at a glance, this seems great, most people would end up being annoyed, especially if they know that this is not what the other is like, but merely them doing this to please you. But the sad thing is that Armand feel that he has to play this role (and the whole maître thing definitely does not help).

It seems that the whole dominate/submissive role extends to other aspect of their life, because at the end of Episode 8, when Louis tell Armand to not harm Daniel, he actually expects Armand to obey, despite the fact that there is no way that he would be able to kill Armand. And to make it worse, he seems to have left Daniel in Dubai with Armand. I really hope that Season 3 would call out Louis on this. Louis left Daniel with someone that is very dangerous, and in a mentally unstable place due to what happened. Rightly or wrongly, Armand would obviously see Daniel as being the cause of Louis’ departure. Louis cannot kill him and the thing Armand fear the most from Louis is rejection and abandonment, which has already happened, so why on earth would he worry about harming Daniel? I feel that him turning to Daniel cannot be from spite, because if Armand wanted to be spiteful, he would probably do something like torturing Daniel. But regardless of the reason, Louis leaving Daniel is definitely super irresponsible.

I was really shocked at Episode 2, because the vampires in the coven seems quite happy with one another, and Armand is clearly accepted as the leader. I really do think that the welcome Louis and Claudia got from the theatre at the first night was not an act. I actually feel that Louis’ arrival began to drive a wedge between Armand and the rest, since Armand is clearly allowing Louis to get away with a lot of the rules. Of course, at the end of the day, this is still Armand’s decision to make, but I do feel that Louis’ arrival was the catalyst. Someone did point out that Louis probably feel that he has to act more assertive due to what happened with Lestat, which is understandable, only that this does end up undermining Armand’s authority.

I can understand why Armand choose the coven due to suspecting that Louis’ affection might not last. After all, there is the fact that Louis does not know the real him, as Armand is presenting himself as what Louis think he should be. He also knew that part of the reason Louis picked him is due to Louis being mad at Lestat. I think in a way, Louis represented a chance that he was not sure whether he should make a risk for, and perhaps he is constantly darting between the two choices until the theatre was burnt.

However, as someone pointed out, at the end, Armand will accept defeat and let the other go. Even though he would do whatever he could to prevent that situation from happening- such as the manipulation of the memories- when it does come, he would be able to give it up. At the end of Episode 8, he could have retained Louis by force, because he is much stronger, yet he just watched the other leave.

I do have to point out that there is one thing that I really dislike about Louis in season 2, which is also the moment that made me decide that it will be good for both of them to part, is when he tried to convince Armand to make Madeleine into a vampire. That was the classic case of emotional manipulation, the sense of ‘if you love me, you will do this thing that you do not like, because I want it’. The idea of not making a fledgling is probably the strongest in Armand, so I do not believe that Louis would not know this. This is an ironic echo of Armand getting Florence and Grace’s name mixed up. Yes, he does not truly know Louis, but Louis does not truly know Armand either. Also, the way Louis mentions Madeleine’s dead sister. If he really is concerned about Claudia being a replacement, then this should be mentioned in private, or at the very least, not in a public setting.

At the end of the day, Armand and Louis’s relationship is just doomed to fail since neither of them are really ready for a new relationship. I actually really support the idea of Armand and Daniel now (I admit, this is partly because I have been reading a lot of fan fictions with these two).

The reason that I feel that Daniel is really good for Armand is because Daniel can see past the acts and lies Armand would try to use. Unlike the book Daniel, the TV Daniel is much older and have more experience with life. I feel that Daniel would be able to accept Armand for who he is, and even though there would be times when he disagrees, they would be able to solve the issue properly. While Daniel might criticise or disapprove of certain actions, at the end of the day, he would remain by Armand. I feel that because Daniel has experienced life, he and Armand would actually be able to have a fairly equal relationship. They would be the classic case of doing a lot of crazy stuff behind closed doors, but does not let this affect their daily life.

My theory of the turning is that the devil minion arc did happen, only that it is different from the book due to Armand causing Daniel to lose his memory and feel that it is better for him to live a mortal life (which is similar to what he said in the book). However, perhaps due to reaching a new understanding, or due to Daniel’s condition worsening, he would decide to turn Daniel into a vampire. He probably then left due to the fear of fledgling hating their maker, which is reasonable since he is probably still in a really vulnerable status due to Louis leaving him. I feel this is very symbolic because Armand usually just stays in a bad situation due to being afraid of the alternative.

I was flipping through ‘Queen of the Damned’ and Khayman’s description of Armand is extremely interesting.

Khayman sought for the name, but the creature’s mind was a perfect blank; not so much as a glimmer of personality escaped from it. A boy he had been when he died, with straight dark auburn hair, and eyes a little too big for his face…Armand immediately attracted Khayman. Surely, he was the same Armand of whom Louis and Lestat had both written- the immortal with the form of a youth. And it meant he was no more than five hundred years old, yet he veiled himself completely. Shrewd, cold he seemed, yet without flair- a stance that required no room in which to display itself. And now, sensing infallibly that he was watched, he turned his large soft brown eyes upward and fixed instantly upon the remote figure of Khayman.

And a few paragraphs later

Khayman understood this being, Armand. He felt he understood him and liked him completely. As their yes met again, all that had been written of this creature in the two little histories was informed and balanced by the creature’s innate simplicity. The loneliness which Khayman had felt in Athens was now very strong. “Not unlike my simple soul,” Khayman whispered. “You’re lost in all this because you know the terrain too well. And that no matter how far you walk, you come again to the same mountains, the same valley.” No response. Of course. Khayman shrugged and smiled. To this one he’d give anything that he could; and guilelessly, he let Armand know it.

I just thought that this was a really interesting description and it is also nice to know that Armand does have someone (especially someone super powerful) in his corner.

[mothmage]

excerpts from my semi-niche devil's minion chase years fic below because the Copley dinner scene is SO underused and makes me craaaazzyyyyyy

She was breathless, her chest heaving, and Armand delighted in it. Oh, this was so much better than she’d expected. When the girl began eating, lustily, furiously – a little fish, a little beef, a little veal, a little sweetbreads, a little cheese, a little everything, put it all together, what did she care, Armand threw her head back in laughter, gleeful laughter.

Dani stared at her, startled. So seductive, she thought, her mind growing careless. She reached for the wine, one of the many glasses scattered between the dishes, and drank it all in one swig. Another, then another. Armand just watched, fascinated.

“Don’t you want to taste it?” Armand asked, tilting her head.

Dani’s mouth hung slightly ajar. I do, she thought. God, do I ever.

Armand’s smile widened. She picked up another glass, swirled it, then offered it to the girl. “Slowly, Danielle. This is an expensive wine, much older than you. You wouldn’t want to waste it, guzzle it like water.”

“Dani,” she said, absently. Her eyes were glued to Armand’s. “It’s Dani.”

“Dani,” Armand corrected, indulgently. She relished in the response it evoked, the shiver down her spine as real as the warmth in her chest from the wine. She shook the glass a little, reminding her to take it.

The girl reached out, slowly, then snatched the glass away when their fingers touched. So cold.

[...]

Armand clicked her tongue. She arched a brow, when Dani’s eyes met hers. “Taste,” she said, quiet but a definitive order. “Use your mortal senses. Slowly.”

Dani watched as she took another silver fork, speared a chunk of duck, dragged it through the sauce. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.

Even without looking into her mind, Armand knew that she was both enticed by the rich food and aroused by the action, by Armand herself. “Here,” she said, quietly, holding out the fork.

Dani leaned forward, without hesitating, and closed her lips around the fork, still held in Armand’s hand. Armand’s mouth fell open, a little surprised.

The girl’s face flushed, Armand’s surprise making her realize what she’d done, but she defiantly refused to be embarrassed about it. She sat up, resettled herself in her chair. “Yeah, it’s –” she cleared her throat. “Good. Really good.”

Armand studied her, eyes tracking the blood in her cheeks, across the bridge of her nose. There were freckles there, little spots from the sun. She’d never seen them before; they were only visible with the blood-flush, it seemed. “What does it taste like?” she asked, meeting the girl’s eyes.

[...]

“What?” Armand pressed, leaning forward. “I’m your what?”

Instead of answering, the girl shoved a roll into her mouth, focaccia dripping with garlic and olive oil. She made a little sound, closed her eyes in pleasure.

Armand didn’t lean away, watched as she ate it. Her mouth was wet, shining with oil, when she’d finished. She licked it up, not wasting any. When she opened her eyes, they met Armand’s, that beautiful and unusual color.

If Armand had any sense, this would be the girl’s last meal. The wine and rich foods would marinate her to perfection for Armand. She would glut herself on the girl’s blood, flooded even now with the effects of the wine. Armand would come away as outrageously drunk as the girl already was. She could smell it, see the pulse hammering in the great vein of her throat.

The waitress returned with the dessert, and Armand sat back in her chair, quickly enough that she heard the wood crack behind her.

[...]

Armand gestured. “This is your hotel, is it not?”

“Oh!” she laughed, embarrassed. She was quite drunk. “Yeah. Let’s –” she stopped, eyes wide, when Armand opened the door for her.

“Go on,” she said. “Aren’t you cold?”

She shook her head, but wheeled through the door, all the same.

She was on the fourth floor, here, but this hotel was expensive and newly constructed, and its elevator was grand and wide. Armand followed her into it, leaned against the wall and watched her.

Dani blew air through her lips, a little nervously, and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling.

Armand followed her gaze, looking up. It was mirrored, silver and gleaming. Her eyes met the girl’s, in the reflection, and stayed there until the elevator made a noise, alerting them to their arrival on the desired floor.

[rapha-reads]

IWTV rewatch

(from paper to screen, the comparative study continues... Back at it again)

Season 1 episode 4 [The Ruthless Pursuit of Blood With All a Child's Demanding] - part 1/2

- Oh, the sun! Hello, the sun. You're not a familiar presence here.

- Eyyy, we're opening with another Armandaniel scene. I mean, that Rashid guy and our Danny boy. "Mr de Pointe du Lac will be resting today" - Armand what does that meaaaaan. Armand giving Daniel Claudia's diaries. Oof. Are we ready for the paiiiiin.

- Shout out to the props department because those diaries are so pretty.

- Shout out to Bailey, I adore her voice.

- [Lestat] "'You were ready to abandon our home, and now you want a third.' [Louis] 'I just need her not to die. Please.'" - you know, there are hospitals. Yeah, skin grafts are not a thing in 1917, but the hospitals can still help her... She is not your penance.

Fascinating the way the scene completely changes tone and atmosphere in Lestat's recollection. Though, which one is the most real... Memory is a beast. But Louis remembers it as something quite romantic in a way, life blossoming out of darkness. Meanwhile, for Lestat, Claudia's rebirth is mired in desperation, anguish and Louis' loss of control. And the way Claudia writes it, well, she never had a say in it, didn't she? She was ready to die, she welcomed death. And then she was pulled back from it and thrust into a new life, and like she says, "I decided to make the best of it".

- [Louis] "'It's a special trick only folks like us have, like the nails and the teeth.' [Claudia] 'So you can hear me, but he can't? That make him the dumb one?'" - oooh, ouch. Right from the beginning, it's Louis and Claudia, and then Lestat left behind. You can hear the abandonment issues making themselves louder.

[Lestat] "'I'll teach you, just like I taught Louis here. But not if we're going to have family secrets.' [Claudia] 'We're a family?' [Louis] 'Yeah, but with no secrets.'" - points afforded for trying. Also, the different roles are already made: Lestat teaches how to be a vampire, Louis upholds humanity and family values. And Claudia is an excellent student...

Love how she immediately calls them "Daddy Lou" and "Uncle Les".

- [Louis] "Looks like she take after me" - aw, Lou, baby. You couldn't be more wrong.

That first hunt is interesting. First the way they talk about Claudia's outfit - she's a doll to them. It's all about how they can mold her, how they can make her into a reflection of themselves, and which one will have more influence, will be more represented in her. What she wants, who she is, barely even enters into consideration.

Secondly, there's the speed with which Claudia adapts to hunting. The way she lures the policeman by humming, playing the lost little girl, that's not something she was taught, that's something she's learned to do herself, naturally, instinctively.

- [Lestat] "An ominous observation, her young lady metabolism is permanent now" - nooo, you don't say? At least Lestat is aware. Welcome to eternal teenagehood. What a hell.

[Lestat] "'Histrionics.' [Louis] 'Some sleep is what she needs.' [Lestat] 'Sedation is what she needs.' [Louis] 'She'll settle.'"

Let me die of laughter first, that banter is perfect. Total old married couple vibes. Now. Looove how they're here talking about Claudia while not even paying attention to her. They're in their bubble, remodelling their family life as if their third member didn't have their own agency and free will, as if they could control and predict how she'll act, and meanwhile Claudia's like "sayonara dummies, I'm starving and I've got all the power to help myself, don't need you". And ain't that gonna be the heart of the matter, control versus freedom, life as a unit versus individual agency.

- Really love the way they show Claudia's... Is it madness? Is it the chaos of teenage hormones being brought to a hundred by vampirism? In any case, she is all over the place at the beginning. Eating human food and repainting the walls with it, playing with the sun's fire...

- [Louis] "'The sun comes up, we go down. That's never gonna change. We've got rules, Lil Miss.' [Claudia] 'Rules are for fools, Daddy Lou.' [Louis] 'Keeping you safe, little waif.'" - excellent back and forth, top notch, rhymes comprised. Nothing to say.

- [Lestat] "'She talked to the book again. Why do you talk to the book?' [Claudia] 'The book is my friend!' [Louis] 'The book is her friend.' [Lestat] 'The book is a book.'" - parent 1 being completely befuddled by their child, parent 2 being overly indulgent with that same befuddling child and patiently telling their partner "there there. She'll make sense to you one day".

- The fight in French, lmao, I'm wheezing. But aside from the humor of the scene, there's the important, deeper part too: Claudia asking questions, as all teenagers do, and Lestat refusing to answer. Lestat's refusal to tell either Louis or Claudia his history is another one of those extremely crucial point at the centre of the conflict.

- The coffin scene, how Louis gets seriously into the roleplay (I see your kinks, Lou), and when Claudia doesn't play along and the guy gets suspicious, how he knows immediately what Lestat's about to do, without even looking at him.

- "A girl vampire needs her own space if she's gonna find herself in this no-day world. And diary, you can already tell, the words come easier when you're locked in tight, wrapped in pink satin and Daddy Lou's feet ain't in your face. It's just me, my pen, my brain, my heart and the blood of the street car conductor I drained after he got off work. Thank you, street car driver. I hope they got more of you at your company to fill in for you. It's never great waiting for the car, especially when the weather gets hot."

She's just like me fr fr. Joke aside, round of applause for Bailey's narration, and another for the writers. There's something so innocent still in this Claudia, something pure and untouched - despite the great ease and joy she has in killing and feeding. Like a baby bird...

And then spying on her parents getting it on, but also, aaaaw, soft Loustat scene. What halcyon days.

- [Louis] "Sometimes, old people don't like talkin' much about the past. Sometimes, you gotta be careful where you dig, you understand." - what kills me here is Louis' understanding. He's fine with Lestat not telling him where he's from or who turned him. He's aware Lestat's already old, and may not want to revisit painful memories, just like he himself doesn't want to revisit Paul's death or his human family rejecting him.

Now the thing is, in the book, Lestat arrives in NOLA barely 30 human years old and 11 in the Blood, with his very human and very old and very sick biological father. So this Lestat and this Louis are starting more or less from an equal point, both starting this journey as vampires more or less together - yes, Lestat has 10 more years of being a vampire plus old secrets that are not his to divulge, and two other fledglings, one who goes insane and dies, the other one who wants nothing to do with humanity and prefer the wilderness. Louis is his first real companion, in a sense. The first who chose to come with him - Gabrielle he brought because she was dying, Nicki because it was the only way to protect him from Armand's coven. Louis, he brought him in because he chose him and Louis said yes, and Louis does stay with him willingly and lovingly - at least for a while. While they were both still regaining some equilibrium. Before the lack of answers, the lack of total trust, and their respective issues and trauma reared their heads, and then Claudia happened.

But here, Lestat has a century of advance on Louis. He has a whole history. And Louis is aware of this history, even if he doesn't know the details, and he doesn't feel like pushing. He wants to keep the peace. Alas they still have the same lack of trust, communication and the same issues to deal with.

- [Claudia] "'How does it work, love between two men?' [Louis] 'I don't know. Works like... It works like love.'" - I need an edit of s1 Claudia asking that and s2 Claudia going "now I know what two fat cocks etc". And character development! Louis is fully alright with his sexuality now. AND it is love, that's literally him admitting it.

- MUSLIM ARMAND YES PLEASE. Hi Rolin Jones please, pleaaaaase confirm Muslim Armand in season 3 pleaaaaaase I'm begging on my knees.

[Rashid/Armand] "'Do you have what you need, Mr Molloy?' [Daniel] 'A cure for Parkinson's?'" - careful what you wish for, Danny. He might take you up on that a bit too literally.

[Daniel] "For a killing machine, I kinda like her." - yeah, me too.

[Rashid/Armand] "Dubai is a child, Mr Molloy. No one's a native." - little nod to book Armand, that, Daniel pinpointing Kazakhstan or Crimea as his origins. And interesting little insight into the mind of a 500yo guy. He's seen empires rise and fall, ancient cities levelled down... What is Dubai for him but a mere second of existence?

- "Daddy Lou, when am I gonna grow into this? [...] Kill, spend. Kill, spend. Then the next thing you know, the leaves are turnin'." - that scene is fascinating. Not just Claudia starting to realise she'll never change and also be a little girl, but also, the visual itself. Lestat and Louis sharing a dance, lost in each other, in their own little world, and Claudia standing in the corner, isolated, alone, lost staring in the fire. That speaks for itself.

And the Lioncourt domestic family life carries on undisturbed... For now.

episode 1 | episode 2 | episode 3 | part 2 | episode 5 | episode 6 | episode 7

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

All Go Home in the End chapter 5

here is the latest chapter of my fic using the story from TotBT with the show versions of the characters.

“Lestat.”

The mortal is clearly unimpressed, but Lestat can sense the fear building in him.  Fear that translates into anger, a deep, searing anger at vampires and all their drama.  Hard to blame him for that; he has spent the last however many days listening to Louis whine.  Louis loves his whining.  

“The one and only.  And you are?”

“Daniel Molloy,” Daniel says and frowns.  He keeps looking over at Lestat instead of the road.  “If you’re going to kill me, I’d rather just get it over with.”

Lestat laughs; the moxie of this mortal!  He can see why Louis and Armand like him.  “I have no intention of killing you; you’re more useful alive.  Lucky you.”

Daniel snorts.  “Yeah, lucky me.”

“Take the next left,” Lestat orders.  He needs to get Daniel somewhere isolated and alone.  Fortunately, he’s already found the perfect place.  

Daniel is considering wrecking the car and trying to escape.  Lestat puts a hand on his knee and digs in his claws, not enough to tear the fabric of his pants or break skin, just a warning.  Daniel takes the next left.  

“Is there a reason you’re kidnapping me?”  Daniel says.  “Something to do with Louis?”

“Kidnapping is such an ugly word, Daniel.”  

Daniel sighs.  He seems tired, weary.  One hand on his lap is trembling, and not from fear.  Sickness, then.  That could complicate things.  Lestat can’t very well have him die on him before he’s had his use.  “What do you want?”

“I have a problem I need help solving,” Lestat says.  “You are my guarantee Louis and Armand will help me.”

“Help with what?” Daniel says, and he sounds genuinely curious.  Like he can’t help himself.  

“It’ll be best to start at the beginning…”

/

“My name is Raglan James, but you can call me Gretchen.  I have a proposal for you.”

This woman is lovely, petite and blonde and quite pretty.  In fact, she reminds him a little of Gabrielle, though not nearly as beautiful.  Lestat can smell her, her blood pumping under her skin, fragrant and distracting.  It’s so strong she must be bleeding from somewhere, and have some open wound.  Or she’s menstruating.  His gums ache around his fangs.  It’s been so long since he’s had human blood, being trapped here after his stint in the sun.

He takes a step forward and she swallows, fear flashing in her eyes.  But she doesn’t step back.  So she has some manner of courage; that’ll make it interesting.  He likes when they fight back a little.  

“You don’t want to kill me,” she says, “Not before hearing my offer.”

“Oh?” Lestat says and drags a nail across her throat.  It causes a thin scratch and her blood wells to the surface.  “And what can you offer that’s sweeter than your blood?”

“Humanity,” Gretchen says.  Lestat leans forward and licks over the cut on her neck.  She tastes divine.  He wants to sink fangs into her and drain her dry.  “I can make you a human again.”

Lestat cocks his head and looks at her.  What an odd offer.  How could she even manage such a thing?  “Explain.”

Gretchen points to her head.  “It's all in here.  Why don’t you take a look?”

Then a series of images flash into his mind and there’s the press of a mind against his own, stronger than any mortal mind has ever felt.  Gretchen–or rather, Raglan–shows him his story.  

A powerful mortal psychic with the ability to steal bodies.  A secret organization that studies the supernatural.  It’s fascinating.  

“We could switch bodies, if you’d like.  Just for a day, to try it out.  You experience being human again, I experience being a vampire.”

It’s tempting; he’s felt rather monstrous lately.  But he hardly wants to be a woman.  

“Why don’t you find a more suitable body and we’ll talk.”  He’d very much like to choose the body himself.  He’d prefer to be someone handsome and tall, similar to his appearance now.  It’s an intriguing enough idea that he decides not to kill him.  

Gretchen doesn’t look too disappointed.  His face barely reveals any emotion at all.  “There’s another offer I have for you.  The Talamasca has on record instances of vampire blood enhancing psychic abilities.  I’d like to see if it’s true.  So I propose an exchange.  Your blood for mine.”

His interest seems more clinical than anything.  Lestat would be insulted at such a proposal, but Gretchen, or Raglan, doesn’t seem to understand the intimacy of what’s being asked.  It’s a purely scientific way of thinking about it, nothing erotic at all in his head.  And Lestat is hungry.

Lestat sinks down to his knees in front of Gretchen and inhales the scent of him, stronger here near his most private parts.  His mouth is watering with the desire to taste.  “As long as I taste you first.”

/

“Skip the part where you earn your red wings,” Daniel cuts in.  He’s been following Lestat’s instructions as he talks.  They’re headed for the desert.  Lestat found a motel out there off the main road that’s perfectly secluded.  Lestat has been telling his tale, right up to when he first tasted Gretchen’s blood.

Mortals can be such prudes when it comes to sex.

“Over the next few weeks, Grethen would visit me daily.  Sometimes he would use his psychic gift to force vagrants into the house so I could feed.  Other times he would bring me blood from the butcher.  Often we would exchange blood, which only made his gifts stronger.”

Daniel looks unamused.  “Uh-huh.  So you were basically fucking.”

“Sharing blood is an intimate act.  It was only natural that we fell in bed together from time to time.”

Time to time was quite often, really.  Lestat never has been one to deny himself the pleasures of the flesh, and the effect of vampire blood on mortals could be arousing.  

“So what went wrong that led to you being here?” Daniel asks.

“I decided against switching bodies with him.  Once I began drinking human blood, my healing worked much faster.  I remembered what it felt like to be powerful.  Why would I give that up?”

“I’m guessing Gretchen didn’t like that much.”

“No, he did not,” Lestat says.  “He’s been following me ever since.  He’s made attempts to steal my body, I’ve felt it.  So far I’ve been able to ward him off, but it exhausts me.  I am still weak from my time in the sun.”

“And he’s stronger because of your blood,” Daniel says.  

“Yes,” Lestat says, “what he wants is to be a vampire.  One way or another.”

Daniel nods and says, to Lestat’s complete surprise, “I met him, you know.  Back when I was young and dumb.  Raglan James.  Uncommon name, it’s why I remembered.  That and the Talamasca stuff.”

Lestat doesn’t bother with warning, he dives straight into Daniel’s mind and pulls out the memory.  It’s easy enough to find, right there on the surface since he’s thinking about it.  

That’s not what’s interesting.  What’s interesting is what else he finds.  A block, and behind it, years of memory.  Too delicate for Louis to construct, his mind gift has never been that strong.  Armand, on the other hand.  He takes a dive inside, careful not to unsettle anything.  

Well, well, well.   Daniel Molloy is more useful than he knows.  He thought Armand would help because Louis liked Daniel.  Now he knows Armand will help for his own reasons.

Turns out Daniel Molloy is the perfect pawn.

[wizardpink]

@armandposting @failvillain @iamanoccasionaldoodler

Backlit by the yellow glow of the bedside lamp beaming down on the pack of Camels he had just opened, Daniel studied Armand under that furrowed brow that always preceeded some prying question or revalatory observation. Even in these dead hours of the morning before dawn, he couldn't turn his curiosity off for longer than it took to take the first drag of his cigarette and pass it off to his companion.

"So, when I am a vampire..."

Armand sighed behind his hand. "Daniel, I don't want to talk about this--"

"Okay, okay, fine. I wasn't trying to start anything." An adoring smile to placate Armand's irritation. "How about this: if you were a human being..."

Armand's flame-colored eyes snapped open in rapt attention, and Daniel feared for a moment he had made it worse. But Armand's gaze seemed to circle every feature of Daniel's face before a coy smile appeared on his lips. "If we were both two human beings together, you mean?"

"Yeah. Where would we go? I mean, we've been all over but like..." An uncharacteristic shyness seemed to creep into Daniel's voice. "If we were to, you know, settle down..."

Armand bit his lip to keep from grinning like a fool. He rolled into Daniel and kissed him while reaching for the ashtray to free his hands, draping his arms around his love's shoulders. "You would flourish in New York City."

Daniel huffed. "You've thought about this."

"Not only a cultural petri dish, but a global hub of media and information? Yes, it's perfect for you, for the both of us. We would make our home in a bright and thriving neighborhood, surrounded by life. Maybe an apartment in Greenwich Village, or a loft in NoHo."

"Right, between Warhol and Basquiat I suppose?" Daniel teased, his hand travelling up and down Armand's ribs.

"Precisely," Armand replied with a confidence only partially in jest. Nose to nose with Daniel, his huge eyes drooped into a lidded love-filled stare. "Our home would have tall, expansive windows, with the curtains never closed. No, there would be no curtains at all. The ever-changing cityscape will be our portraiture. And the ceilings, we will paint them as though they were a sky rimmed in billowing clouds, like the ballrooms of Versailles. Let them appear to open to heaven itself, so that all God's angels may gaze down on our happiness and tear at their wings in terrible envy."

Daniel was quiet for a moment, as he often became on the rare occasion that Armand opened up to him so readily. He drank it in and let it fill his chest like a drowing man. The likelihood that Armand would now retreat from him, back behind his high and ancient walls, was always looming.

He shelved a more sincere reply and went with a second option. "Mmm. I was thinking we'd get a water bed--" The rest of his sentence was cut short by Armand's laughter, his head tossed back against a nest of black curls. "What? Don't I get a say in the decorating? Fine, but I'm picking out the appliances."

me when i'm a journalist who lives in new york and i have my ceiling painted with a beautiful mural that brings me fond memories of the past that slip away before they fully materialize and show me the face of my long lost beloved