#Lestat / gentleman death

[the-late-one]

Gotta start making a list of "That blond bitch from this TV show"

[thevamplelio]

Murder family is here, and intensely queer, btw.

Tagging: @dxlac & @journalsinblood (bonus points to me cause these are all now canonical in the show).

Plain icons underneath the cut.

[knifeeater]

Interview with the Vampire + The Vampire Armand

[cbrownjc]

"I'm the quiet you've been longing for." Or, in other words, Gentleman Death.

So yeah, there are people, rightly, laughing at Armand calling himself the "quiet" that Daniel's been longing for because if you know anything about their relationship, particularly with how it started, it was anything but quiet. Quite the opposite in fact.

But see, I think, when it comes to the moment in the image above, that is actually the whole point. Because this moment isn't from some point when they are romantically together. I think this moment is from when they first really meet and speak to each other after Polynesian Mary's. More importantly, I think this is sometime after Armand had stopped Louis from killing Daniel.

There is a great observation/analysis post here that notes the clothes both Armand and young Daniel are wearing, and how they match up to what they were wearing that night when they first encountered each other at Polynesian Mary's. So this moment above being either later that same night, or maybe even the next night after Louis attacked Daniel matches up.

And this moment is very much Armand offering Daniel an "easeful death." Namely, killing him, probably because of what happened with Louis. Armand likely only stopped Louis from doing so because he knew Louis would feel guilty about it later, as Louis doesn't actually like to know anything about his victims before he kills them. So Armand likely stepped in and stopped Louis to spare him from that and such guilt.

However, Armand probably also thinks Daniel now knows too much to risk letting him live. And so is going to kill him himself. And I think what we are seeing here, above, is one of the ways Armand will sometimes present himself to his victims. And I think it is something he learned from Lestat, which is to be "Gentleman Death."

It's been noted by the writers of the show that they were looking to drawn things from Anne Rice's short story, Interlude with the Undead, for Armand in Season 2. (A short story, btw, which you can read online here and here.) And, of course, the line about "easeful death" that we hear in the trailer can be found in that short story, not once but twice:

But if you notice, during the first passage, Armand also talks about being "Gentleman Death." The same exact thing Lestat said to Armand to explain his outlook on being a vampire during the time period when they first met; and basically upending Armand's entire worldview (and cult) under Les Innocents.

From The Vampire Lestat:

From Interlude with the Undead:

From the opening of Interlude with the Undead, we know that this whole short story was actually Louis telling Daniel something Armand had told him. Well, I think not only has the show cut out the middleman on that, but I think what they are about to do is show how very much Armand, in his own way, embraced Lestat's Gentleman Death mission statement for a time. Probably for a long time.

In the show, I think we are going to see Lestat give Armand his Gentleman Death monologue during the scene when these two images happen:

And I think, by the time Louis encounters Armand in Paris, we will see that he has, in his own ways and methods, adapted to that ethos of being Gentleman Death.

However, time does march on. And I do think Armand will begin to see presenting himself as such is beginning to not fit with the times he is now in. But it will still be one of the things he still will present himself as.

At least until Daniel.

Because I really do think when Armand presents himself in this way to Daniel, being a "quiet" (ie death) that he says Daniel has been longing for? Daniel is going to flat-out reject that.

Because Daniel doesn't want to die, no matter how many drugs he takes or the reckless behavior he may sometimes exhibit (during this point in time). What Daniel really wants is to live forever. The reason Louis attacked Daniel as he did was because Daniel asked Louis to make him immortal.

Death? Quiet? Hell no. Give Daniel Molloy immortality, thank you!

So Daniel is going to ask the same thing of Armand he asked of Louis. Which is for Armand to make him immortal.

And just like in the book? Armand is, at first, going to be taken aback. And then, intrigued by this brash (and beautiful) human:

This human whom Armand is sure is going to go completely mad at some point by the knowledge that vampires actually exist. But hasn't gone mad, no not yet:

So yeah, I feel that the "quiet you've been longing for" moment in the trailer is the moment when Armand presents himself as his own version of "Gentleman Death" and it flat-out doesn't work, probably for the first time ever. And that it doesn't work with Daniel is what starts The Chase between them in the show's universe; the show leaving out the 3-days or so that Armand locked Daniel in a cage before that, of course.

And all because of something Armand has been doing since Lestat first upended his life under Les Innocents centuries ago did not work on this one particular mortal. So, instead, Armand let him go to chase him instead.

And to hell with trying to seduce this human with promises of "quiet" because that sure as hell didn't work last time.

[miraculan-draws]

being most of the way through The Vampire Lestat, the thing I'm most excited about in S3 is seeing that like. Lestat is so GOOD. like Good-Aligned. So much of the book is him philosophizing—Anne really takes advantage of the setting in the Age of Enlightenment.

Lestat is a newly realized atheist, and working out what it means to be Good or Bad without God as a guiding measurement. To be Good, in his mind, you are good AT things—a good hunter, a good marksman, a good actor and a good vampire why not? But to DO GOOD is to inspire emotion, to move people, because badness is the Nothing. To give people a reprieve from the Nothing is to be a Saint. Musicians, actors, poets, storytellers, comedians, those are Saints to him.

And the concept of Evil can still be saintly, because it is not the Nothing. Evil can be an art. Evil can be riveting and sensual and moving, and therefore can be something one strives to be Good At. He is Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles.

He's emotional and silly and RADIANT, like he is so full of light. When Rolin Jones said that between the first and second books it seems like Anne Rice really fell in love with Lestat, he was right. And given how MAGNIFICENT the first two seasons of this show were, and how intimately I believe Sam Reid to know this character, I am beyond excited to see how they play it—especially with our framing device being this manic and unstable and CAMPY modern Lestat.

Cutting from stage to stage? From VL to Lelio? From witty Daniel to the horror of Magnus? (Maybe from supportive and friendly Louis, to bitter and spiteful Nicki?) THE HUNT FOR ARMAND VS ARMAND HUNTING LESTAT AND GABRIELLE I am literally vibratibg my molecules are breaking a part I am turning into mist. Please read The Vampire Lestat.

[tossacointoyourhotmess]

Vamptember Day 3: Gentleman Death

Tom Cruise (1994) and Sam Reid (2022-) as Lestat de Lioncourt

[iamthedevilsminion]

You mentioned you had thoughts on art in iwtv? Something about Louis and photography?

yes, i did! in this post, i had a brief aside about louis and photography in comparison to daniel. a quick warning, i'm pretty black and white about good and bad art in this, that's not something that works in life about art. for the sake of this though, bear with me.

art and vampires is a really interesting topic; almost all the main cast has some point of connection to the arts. marius and painting, lestat with acting and music, louis with photography, armand with directing the theatre. claudia and journalling. i'm going to count daniel's journalism here too, i'll come back to that a little later.

specifically, these are all ways to connect to the world around them, and almost all of them fail spectacularly. marius' works haven't really survived him, he is an unknown name among his venetian contemporaries. lestat is not perceived as being "a real vampire", instead someone running off the clout of daniel's book. louis is desperately trying to connect to the world, but the only "good" work of his portfolio is someone else's.

and a very specific aspect of their artworks are an attempt to mimic, capture, and connect to life and living. and even more specifically, they're all failing.

marius as a painter, had to stage his references. each painting is a facsimile of a staged moment. it's noted that his works are often references to other, more esteemed painters. he has the skill, but is missing the eye required. marius is only ever creating imitations. there is no connection there, no understanding. his work is beautiful, certainly, he loved his aesthetics and maintained them through painting, but it is, at the end of it, a failed connection. he isn't actually interacting with the world, with life and humanity, he's still locked away in his tower crafting an idea of life that he thinks looks beautiful to the eye.

lestat, as an actor, is always performing; all the world's a stage. there is a struggle for genuine connections because he cannot move beyond the role he's assigned himself. his interactions with humans is coloured by the the person he is attempting to be within those interactions, and it leaves him unable to be genuine. we get little flashes of him being honest, such as the conversation with louis' family in early s1, with big emotions, but there is always an element of public performance. when he becomes a rock star, his attempts at honesty are twisted on him because of the book. it's not the vampire lestat, it's lestat the vampire from the book interview with the vampire. it's twisted into another role to play. a chance at connection lost.

armand is interesting, as he's been the subject of paintings, never true manifestations of himself, but as a role, an aesthetic. then, of course, he also directs -- and sometimes performs -- at the théâtre des vampires. he structures the performance in the same way that he leads conversations. there is an ideal outcome, a way that allows the audience the best experience, that portrays the right themes. his interactions with everyone are played like this. he pulls the strings; once more with feeling. there is no connection there, he sees players, not people. even the way he hunts has a script; gentleman death. armand also seeks this in other people. i've spoken about it a lot here, how he tries to live vicariously through other people, and i think this is only exemplified by his attitudes as a director.

louis' photography is the most literal translation to completely missing the point of his form. photography is meant to capture moments; there is something about photography as a medium that works so well in a connecting with humanity and life. to take a photo, and make the moment live forever. however for louis, it isn't. the best shot he captures in the show is a moment of vulnerability from armand, a spur of the moment shot that does successfully capture him. but he captured an immortal, his subject is going to live forever. and he walks each night looking for photographs to take. his camera is up at all times, he is not living in the moment, not living life. he's put a literal barrier between him and the world at large.

another little aside, but there's also something to be said about the way louis views art, as a dealer. he isn't viewing artwork for arts sake, he is looking at it for profit, and i think this is also a big tell about how he views the world.

daniel is an interesting aspect of this. he has spent his life succeeding at connecting with life. looking for stories about people who have slipped through the cracks. he knows people, how they live, how they love. he's seen the worst and best of humanity, and how complicated people are, and i think that while he has a distance between him and his subjects, there is a connection there that the others cannot make. this makes his transition into vampirism really interesting; will he maintain this level of connection? will he keep living? can he?

[thevamplelio]

Hey google, how did it take me this long to wander far enough into this hellsite to discover Hannibal (all media) and Hannibal NBC? Cause like…

Same energy, different font.

Also, Abigail/Will and Louis/Claudia have the same energy, neither of which is healthy, or straight, and I’m here… at least for Abigail/Will.

Oops?

The Queer appeal of toxic love.

Vampire Reviews: IWTV 1994.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Looking at what we’ve seen so far and what has been revealed and teased in interviews I have a few DM predictions/thoughts. Would love to hear yours and @cbrownjc opinions! First some observations:

1. Louis attacking Daniel in the 70’s, his and Armand’s fight (the clip of Armand repeating Lestat’s name), Armand’s ’Gentleman Death’ speech, biting of Daniel - all seems to occur during the same night/24 hours, as they are wearing the same clothes. All clips so far from the 70’s seem to take place during the same day(s). Could be intentional, a way of obscuring as much as possible or alternatively a lot of S02E05 will take place during the same few days in the 70’s.

2. The scene in S02E02 of Louis and Armand talking about the ’young men’ is framed in such a way as to imply that Daniel might have been one of these men. Additionally at least one review has talked about there being a ’couple/third’ dynamic in the show (as well as a hunter/prey dynamic and more). However as screeners have so far only seen episodes 1-6, this could be based on speculation/good(?) story literacy rather than on what has actually happened explicitly in the show thus far. Or this dynamic comes into play before/during Daniel’s first interview with Louis.

3. In an interview with the Nerdist EB answered when asked if viewers will see anything of Daniel and Armand’s complex relationship this season: ”We’re going to have to leave that to your imagination because there is a lot coming. But I guarantee there will be some cool stuff happening by the end of the second season”. And also: ”But, it’s also going to be heavy. There’s going to be a lot of heaviness.”

4. Taking into considerations what we know about Armand’s tragic and horrific back story, AZ’s comments about Armand, about Armand’s relationship with Louis and his fascination with Daniel (which starts at the original interview) we know that Armand is desperate to be loved (and love), that he needs/craves control (fully understandable) but also wants to be loved and seen for everything that he is (which implies a need to relinquish control and be vulnerable).

Taking all these aspects together I’m going to guess that Daniel might have hooked up with Louis at his and Armand’s flat before the interview started. After revealing thet he is in fact a vampire Daniel is told ”Don’t be afraid, start the tape” (heard in the trailer) and the interview commences. Daniel fascinates Armand during the interview. More precisely the way he is able to understand and connect with Louis is something that Armand finds intriguing. Daniel will however push too far, asking to become a vampire - as well as possibly reveal something about Louis’ narrative which causes Louis to attack him (“You don’t understand the meaning of your own story!”). Armand will save his life, probably at first plan to get rid of him through his ’Gentleman Death’ spiel but will change his mind and at some point let him go. The DM chase will possibly begin. Perhaps S02E05 will end with Daniel, after having been locked up for a few horrifying days, being let go. Meaning that the chase and the beginning of the romantic relationship between Daniel and Armand could be revealed in the season finale (if the show does the chase). Armand clearly truly loves Louis, and I think that Louis loves Armand, but there is some resentment and bitterness between them due to the events in Paris + Lestat. The fight therefore, motivated in part by Louis still talking/thinking about Lestat, might result in a temporary separation, during which Armand first chases and later falls for Daniel. Maybe Louis and Armand reconcile and Daniel become their ”third” for a while. Or Armand is separately in a relationship with Daniel, Louis probably has awareness of them but might lack insight into the depth of the relationship. If Louis and Armand separate for a while it’s possible that when they reconcile Armand ”let’s go” of Daniel. Possibly motivated by his need to not lose Louis (this could be what the couple/third dynamic is referring to, the fact that there’s an understanding between Louis and Armand to not get too close to the ’young men’ they engage with). So Armand could’ve been motivated by a fear of losing Louis - and just by his love and care of Louis, who he also in addition probably felt needs him after Claudia’s death.

Another factor could also be that Daniel wanted to be turned. Armand not wanting to turn Daniel could be because he believes vampirism is a curse or because this would entail a loss of control over Daniel/their relationship which Armand psychologically couldn’t cope with. Possibly he didn’t trust enough in Daniel’s love of him (giving the Alice comment more personal context). So Armand adjusts Daniel’s and Louis’ memories, the latter’s possibly with a certain level of consent - so that Louis can cope with what happened in Paris/the trial/Claudia’s resentment(?). This kind of breakup between Armand and Daniel, and the reasoning behind it could explain what the ’heaviness’ is referring to. Since it has nothing to do with a lack of love but rather with insecurity. A part of the heaviness from Daniel’s side could also be that as he is someone dealing with internalized homophobia, he felt truly seen and free with Armand and from Armand’s side Daniel’s ability and willingness to connect and not judge and love Armand set him free, and made him feel accepted. I’m very invested in the DM relationship, but I’m a worried that their relationship will nearly not be salvageable after all revelations. The heaviness comment concerns me. Adjusting someone’s memories to such an extent and in a way is an incredible violation, and perhaps more importantly, in a way, Armand chose Louis over Daniel. And that is a difficult hurdle to get over, even if Armand’s motivations were understandable. I’m happy to be wrong here though. I’m also fascinated by the idea of what’s next in Daniel’s and Armand’s dynamic. I don’t believe it’s Marius who’s behind Daniel’s blocked memories, simply because it feels like the show is going to use episode five to reveal through Daniel’s trauma in San Francisco the extent of Armand’s ‘Mind Gift’. As revealed in the trailer, Louis will have a moment of revelation where he realises that he is missing memories. Him and Daniel are seated at the same table with the same clothes in that scene as in the scene where Daniel tells Louis that he wants to remember for his own sake what happened in San Francisco. And for a causal viewers’ sake it makes sense to show the extent of the Mind Gift as well as Armand’s propensity to use it before we arrive at the finale (and the trial). It could be pretty good foreshadowing. I do think that Armand is not going to be revealed to simply be a moustache-twirling villain and manipulator behind it all - again I think a certain amount of memory manipulation might be somewhat consensual as Louis at some point will be almost crushed by Claudia’s death.

I’m honestly happy to be wrong about a lot of this - and I certainly don’t think I’m right about everything. It should go without saying that a lot of this is me synthesising speculation I’ve read on Tumblr and online. But I’ve just thought about this for a while and would love to hear your (and others who would like to comment) thoughts on it. So sorry for long post!!! Thank you! Love coming to your and @cbrownjc blogs and reading speculation! Also - plz don’t feel obliged to respond or comment on everything!

Hey!!

So. I think episode 5 will be the horrific parts of the DM arc. I do think that Daniel went up with Louis to that apartment and maybe something happened, but I think it was mostly about the interview at that point. I don’t think Daniel became their “third” right away, but I DO think that Daniel became that over time (which I think is not something I expect to see in episode 5 - IF we get to see that we will see it in a later episode I think).

I… am not sure Armand is fascinated by Daniel during the interview. In fact I think THAT will play out like in the book, namely Daniel being told to run (a true hunt across the globe). But yes, Daniel pushed too far in the interview, and Louis will attack him - and Armand will save him in that moment - but I do not think for Daniel’s sake, but for LOUIS’ sake. Because Armand likely knows that Louis would not really want to kill Daniel then.

Armand does love Louis. He betrays his coven for him! But… he goes about it in the only way he knows how, and that is not how Louis nor Lestat need to be loved. And he is so desperate to have and keep that love he does anything to keep it - unfortunately. (Luckily for him Daniel is the counterpart to that desire to love.)

I … don’t think that Louis will be “away” during the chase and the aftermath (resulting in Armand and Louis actually being together for so long) because I think… I think the Louis prior to SF is a different one after SF, namely in Dubai. The Louis in Dubai is more settled, tempered, but still spiraling. The Louis in that bar in SF? Is trying to numb himself, eaten alive by guilt, seeking out substance users to get high. So … something happened between Paris and modern day Dubai, and SF seems to be it - especially if the hints we got re this episode being THAT KIND of episode hold true (and I mean it’s episode 5, right^^). So, we’ll see. But I expect gutter punches.

Daniel… will want to be turned, yes. And I think it has already been hinted with the “Alice said no” that Daniel will ask Armand at some point as well - and that it will be driven by love - but Armand did not trust that love enough to turn him.

The thing about Armand is… that he is Armand. He is not a moustache-twirling villain!!! But he goes about things in his coven-master mentality, making decisions for others, using his gifts as he sees fit.

That is canon behavior. That does not make him a big caricature villain!

But he does canonically influence Louis, makes him do things. Louis, in s3 has already commented on that. And he lets the coven kill Claudia.

He is doing that not to be evil - but he is doing this to keep the ones he loves, and he does it to protect his own heart, which is very understandable, imho. In the only way he knows how.

And, unfortunately, he does not love Claudia.

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 OST - Hella Spoilery

Daniel Hart woke up and chose violence, I see. (Link)

I don't wanna hear any of the tracks until I actually see the episodes they're in--the emotional impact will hit so much harder that way. But the titles alone have me like 👀👀👀

Ep1: What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned?

We were already devastated by the strings in Ep1, such beautiful tracks, and my favorite scene in S2 so far, as Louis just cried his eyes out over knowing his baby girl could dream. It was such a perfect nod to Merrick, and Louis thanking her for showing him Claudia's diaries.

EMMY. 👏 WHEN? 👏

Ep2: Do You Know What It Means to be Loved By Death?

These definitely look like they're going in episode order--this is all Theatre stuff we've seen bits of in the teasers. I'm unsure about Ep3 & Ep4 though; I'm just going off of my hunches ATM?

Ep3: No Pain | Ep4: I Want You More Than Anything in the World

WOAH. 😲

I see you Mr. Gentleman Death, but hold on a sec--

Welp, it's official, Tale of the Body Thief is definitely cooking; the Raglan James leaks weren't lying! I am SO happy! And terrified!

If they're going by the order in the books, not the teaser/promo, then rule #4 is about Lestat, and "killing your own kind."

I have no idea why this track is way at the bottom of the playlist

But I suspect it's also related to this episode, and whatever goes down with the Coven/Theatre vs Claudia & Louis.

We were told in a recent review that "I Don't Like Windows When They're Closed" is the song Claudia performs as Baby LouLou; I am SO excited for this! It's gonna be WEIRD, I can feel it. 👶🏾🎼

These tracks are way at the bottom of the playlist and IDKY, but it's obvs Claudia as Baby LouLou, and that's just French for "I Don't Like Windows...."

Ep5: Don't Be Afraid, Just Start the Tape

The backstory we've all been waiting for! ^0^

And they already warned us that Ep5 was gonna be effing NUTS, so I imagine Armand will tell his story to DANIEL--in SanFran????

Ep6: Like the Light by which God Made the World Before He Made Light | Ep7: I Could Not Prevent It

👀👀👀☀️����💀🔥🎭🔥⚰️⚰️⚰️🔥💀🍿

Who TF is Francis? Francis of Assssi? XD

PLEASE let this be Lestat's POV when he first got to NOLA--I wanna know why he went there, and where he was BEFORE! Was he asleep? Is he STILL asleep in 2022?!

👀👀👀☀️🔥💀🔥🎭🔥⚰️⚰️⚰️🔥💀🍿

PLEASE let this be Louis discovering the Fire Gift as he lights those mofos up! 🙏🙏🙏🙏

The Garden of Satan is giving me Children of Satan/Darkness vibes--maybe this is about Nicki ALSO dying in a fire? 👀 Jfc this is too much.

Ep8: Unannounced Mystery Title

I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and assume the PLETHORA of songs left on this list are from Ep8, cuz I literally have zero context for it--all we know is that it will supposedly segue into S3 TVL.

The crooner is back! But will it be REAL Lestat? in 2022? Rockstar!Lestat!? Flashbacks to 1900s!Loustat? Or more DreamStat?

Yeah, I got nuthin.

Lestat mentioned Le Bucheron before about dogs vs lambs--

--so I'm wondering if this has anything to do with Les feeling like he's still being "herded" by lesser vampires?

Or perhaps GREATER vampires (Armand.... Magnus.... TWMBK?)

This is all giving me heavy TVL vibes!

HOWEVER--

"Followed Closely By My Madness" could be for Nicki, but we all know it could also be referring to LOUIS, a la Merrick. ☀️💀🔥⚰️👀

I am SO STOKED for this season, they better stop playing with me!

[zumurruds]

"I'm Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles. The canker in the heart of the rose."

THE VAMPIRE LESTAT

[meerawrites]

10 facts about The Vampire Emery (my oc)

has bipolar 1 disorder (if I assigned him a Vampire: The Masquerade Clan he'd be a Malkavian)

Bisexual-biromantic

almost died of tuberculosis and cholera in 1830s Paris before receiving vampirism

inspired by Nicolas de Lenfent, Lestat de Lioncourt, Enjolras and multiple TV characters

a gentleman (in theory), until he is not

noted bi disaster, it's gotten him trouble multiple times

a bad streak with partying (and girls)

Took part in the June rebellion of 1832

served time in prison for his part in the June rebellion before his grandfather bought him out of prison

for all the vampire horrors he takes a moral opposition to the death penalty and most systems of capital punishment, basically his own kind would call him "too nice" (derogatory) and "a socialist" (derogatory) and the humans would call him "c.ommie" (negative meaning)

Playlist.

[miraculan-draws]

"There is no bedchamber, no ballroom that I cannot enter. Death in the glow of the hearth, Death on tiptoe in the corridor, that is what I am. Speak to me of the Dark Gifts — I use them. I'm Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles. The canker in the heart of the rose."

—The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice

[hekateinhell]

Lestat to Armand in TVL:

"[...] Try to envision my beauty and my power. Try to see the evil that I am. I stalk the world in mortal dress, the worst of fiends, the monster who looks exactly like everyone else." The woman vampire made a low song of her laughter. I could feel only pain from him, and from her the warm emanation of her love.

"Think of it, Armand," I pressed carefully. "Why should Death lurk in the shadows? Why should Death wait at the gate? There is no bedchamber, no ballroom that I cannot enter. Death in the glow of the hearth, Death on tiptoe in the corridor, that is what I am. Speak to me of the Dark Gifts-I use them. I'm Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles. The canker in the heart of the rose."

... You can easily understand why Armand's very first impression of baby Lestat was: "It came swaggering and camping through the lighted streets of Paris as though God had made it."

[lightsonparkave]

As we enter the season of the dead, some things linger, continuing to live on or at least not quite die.

The theme for Lights on Park Ave Round 55 is the undying.

Here are the prompts:

Tim struggles with his love for Hawk before accepting it after realizing over the decades that he's always had Hawk from Fellow Travelers

A quote about loss teaching us the permanence of love from A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

A line from “Disjecta Membra” by Charles Wright about the inability to speak about someone

An excerpt from Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel where the narrator talks about movies immortalizing not just the stars but the actors with small roles as well

Advice on having a physicist speak at your funeral by Aaron Freeman

Lestat asks Louis to be his eternal companion and Louis agrees in AMC's Interview With the Vampire

A Youtube comment by someone who attended Simon & Garfunkel's 1981 Central Park concert who thinks about how he and his now deceased wife are together in the recording

"Thriller" - Michael Jackson

A scene where Steve talks about what a ghost actually is from The Haunting of Hill House

A quote from Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk about the never-ending nature of anger and sorrow

Kimiko comes back to life after dying due to her regenerative healing power as an astounded Frenchie watches in The Boys

The government makes a public announcement lying to civilians about a zombie outbreak in Train to Busan

Lines from "The Third Hour of the Night" by Frank Bidart about the insatiable thirst of the beast inside you

Grace encounters an old woman wearing her daughter Anne's communion dress who speaks in Anne's voice and claims she's Anne in Alejandro Amenábar's The Others

Will tells Lyra he'll love her forever and wander after death until he can find her again in The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Adam comforts a distraught Harry who finds out he died in Andrew Haigh's All of Us Strangers

Untitled poem by Marina Tsvetaeva from The Stray Dog Cabaret

Photos of Robbie and Cecilia and Briony's reason for making the two live happily ever after in Joe Wright's Atonement

Round 55 will end on October 31, 11:59 PM ET (what time is that for me?).

As always, you’re free to jump in whenever you’d like during the round, a wide variety of work types is accepted, and there are no minimum work requirements. Unfinished works and works for other fandom events are allowed. You can find more information about Lights on Park Ave and the participation guidelines here.

[deepfocusreviews]

It was a “mighty tall ladder” to climb, but life at the top is truly as good as Louis always imagined. Under his ownership the Azalea has become the “brightest club in the district.” It’s successful enough to continue providing his loyal, beloved employees generous salaries. And on top of star performer Jelly Roll Morton, they just hired a new singer who heard about the place “all the way in Atlanta. They talking about this place in Atlanta!” “1917 sounds like it was a pretty good year,” Daniel agrees. Tensions even appear to have cooled with Lestat; in contrast to the frightening scene that closed the previous session, this one opens on a midnight date in Jackson Square, before Louis takes his nightly victory lap at the Azalea. It’s reminiscent of their early courtship, playing docent to the new, mysterious gentleman in town—save for one key difference. Two sessions ago Jackson Square meant comfort, an opportunity for Louis to shed his armor and share himself with someone other than Paul; now he and Lestat sit in silence. It appears the tenor’s death is still weighing on Louis, even after half a year. Humiliation. Complicity. A lifetime of joy destroyed in half an hour. The fear that stopped him from objecting in the parlor no longer factors. “The poets, composers. . . . Shouldn’t we spare them the randomness of our killing?” It’s Lestat’s turn for disinterest. No one knows better than he, after all, that if you “thrust [any human] into circumstance, whisper to them their Lord, God and Savior is not listening . . . you will see all kinds of depravity.” Nonetheless, a rare and well placed “mon cher” gets him off the bench and testing Louis’s theory. He has some questions of his own, as they stroll through Storyville. How do we decide who’s bad enough? How long do we wait to confirm they are? “Say we come upon a murderer planting a flowerbed, thinking only of flowers.” A thief finally meets Louis’s requirements; Lestat prepares the victim before they can dawdle any longer. Louis, faced with exactly what he claimed he wanted, grabs the nearest cat instead.

Pivoting: last-ditch effort or sound business strategy?