#can't blame lestat for not being normal about louis

[sandushengshou]

JACOB ANDERSON as LOUIS DE POINTE DU LAC Interview with the Vampire | 1.01 "In Throes of Increasing Wonder..."

[ismellpestilence]

Louis' vs Lestat's narratives about being hunted by each other are interesting because we heard Louis' version of events first, which leads us to interpret Lestat's version as a lie. But what we need to remember is that Louis heard Lestat's version before he told us his. Louis told his version of events with the knowledge that he would eventual tell how Lestat told it at the trial. He could have seen how Lestat's story moved the audience, and so he stole it to use on us.

That also doesn't mean that Lestat's narrative is true, especially when it was told as part of a script to make Louis seem evil and conniving. He could have been the one who hunted Louis, but flipped it around to paint Louis in the worst light, in which case Louis would be telling us the truth.

Or their courtship could have been entirely normal and organic, with both pursuing the other by their own free will, but neither will admit it. Lestat lied to make Louis look bad, and then Louis took his lie and flipped it around. That would make Louis' interview just as impartial as what Lestat said at the trial.

Or perhaps Lestat never said he was hunted, but Louis and Armand made it up to make the trial seem more horrific, or perhaps to deflect blame away from Armand. The script Armand has can't be the original script, or else the pages would be yellow from age. They could have typed it up recently and are trying to pass it off as evidence. If that's the case, than none of the script can be trusted.

As confusing as it is, the one bit of truth is that this isn't Lestat's version of what happened. This is Lestat's version that has been filtered through Santiago, Armand, and Louis. Whether done deliberately or or not, edits have been made. Someone isn't telling the whole truth.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hello! I wanted to ask something that can start the fight, so ignore me if you want! Do you consider Louis good parent? Because I noticed (and maybe it's just me not following people who discuss it) that fandom generally paints Louis and Claudia relationship pretty simple. But there's many little things that show how not that good Louis and Claudia relationship, which culminates in him choking her (for some reason almost no one remembers that) Starting from first scene with him taking her to be his redemption, then begging Lestat to turn her and basically damn Claudia for a hell. (Before anyone says that Lestat is to blame too, I know! Of course he is, but people constantly talk about it but not about Louis) There was interview with Jacob when he said that Louis liked to dress up Claudia like a doll. Comparison with doll stucked with me, because while I genuinely believe Louis loved Claudia, you can't say he loved her instantly, since rescuing her from the fire. Basically I wanted to say, dynamic between Louis and Claudia is unhealthy. I didn't see anyone mention that falling into depression because your child left the house is not normal. Personally, I think he was too dependent on her which is unfair to Claudia. There's also whole ep6 where Claudia is RIGHTFULLY against Lestat but Louis acts like she's unreasonable "what are you doing?" "I'm enduring" "Do more!" or "You look ugly like this" I understand that Louis is victim but come on! And as I said him choking her... Claudia looking betrayed and terrified... Basically choosing Lestat over her and over her safety... There's also angle with him being a pimp and Claudia being "girl with no home". Maybe if she was a little older, she would be one of Louis' workers.

I'm starting to ramble here, I apologize, I just thought about Claudia recently and got very frustrated! Love your blog!

Hey! Glad you like :)!

I think Louis was a good parent, yes, in a sense by definition, because he so desperately wanted to be a good parent. And I do think he succeeded to be a (very) good parent for Claudia in the first years, even though his reasons for "having her" were selfish ones, ultimately. But then, parents always have to be selfish in that regard, I mean, what is the wish to be a parent? You want something... and then decide you want to have it. (At least if/when you can choose, obvs.)

Unfortunately Claudia did not stay the child he wanted (her to be) though, mentally. And that friction was something Louis couldn't quite follow, imho, and to large parts did not wish to follow.

He did not wish to acknowledge she was not on a hunger strike, he did not wish to realize she was torturing her victims. He did not wish to think these "ugly" things of her.

And I can understand that, btw. No parent wants to learn things like that about their child, wants to learn just how much they've failed them (and it always pains me when he talks about that in Dubai). How different they are to what they believed, and hoped for.

I think Louis was not the best parent for her later. He stood by often, he let Lestat do the hard parenting, and then tried to negotiate between them, or argued with Lestat afterwards behind closed doors (which Claudia noticed, too (and which would have driven me mad, btw)).

And no matter how easily he acquiesced to calling her "sister"... she was still his child for him, and yet he betrayed her (and will betray her again in s2), by choosing someone else over her.

And that is what that choking scene is all about, btw, and you can see it in Claudia's face, too. Louis betrays her in that moment. And their relationship after will never be the same again.

I agree it is not entirely healthy even before, because Louis does defer to both Claudia and Lestat (who are quite alike, too), however, I think it will not ... be as ... lets call it problematic as in the book, I think they won't go there.

Now... I disagree with the depression, Louis did not fall into depression because Claudia left, though that was certainly part of it.

Louis (and Lestat, who talks about setting himself on fire!) fell into depression because they lay low for seven years. And because a big part of the illusion of immortality (and the safety of it), and the state of them had been shattered. He puts it quite perfectly there: Claudia had exposed them. To the world (almost at least), but, worse, to each other. And that exposure was a very hard pill to swallow.

So no, I do not think Louis' and Claudia's relationship was simple. And it won't be simple in s2 either, and as mentioned before, I believe there will be ... interesting diary entries incoming, too.

And, last but not least - there is also the tale to consider.

Louis chose to omit things, editorialize, Daniel has been calling him out on that since the beginning. (And Armand apparently editorialized the diaries, too.) We only have seen a part of "Claudia", and as such of the relationship he had to and with her, namely the part he wanted us to see. (Well, apart from the two scenes that Daniel literally broke out of Louis at the end.)

Now in season 2... we will have Armand's POV, and I'm quite sure we will get to see some of the cut out pages come back, too.

It will change it all a bit still (and as has been mentioned "all will be revisited", so it will be interesting which aspects will change and which will only be enhanced)... though I do think that most of the things pertaining to Claudia will be "only" an enhancement - except the parts leading up and to murder night... because there... something different was going on (book canonically) and I really don't think they'll skip that twist.

Because it's a very heavy one, and literally a... errrrrrr.... dream for a show like this, script- and story-wise.

Tldr: :) I do think he tried to be a good parent, and there were times he succeeded... and times he did not. Which is something that all parents share I think. Unfortunately his failures had dire consequences though - but... in a way, that is something you cannot really blame him for though - because how should he have known?

And both he and Lestat learn from their mistakes with Claudia... and they will apply that later with another child, a child Claudia's backstory has been aligned to fit to on the show, which is something I find extremely interesting btw. But that just as a note.

[alibraryofconfusion]

Yes, I am going to shove my personal opinion/long winded unedited rambling on a Jacob Anderson thirst trap/gif set

Okay the question may be rhetorical but I'm going to take it anyway. As someone who is reserved, often inarticulate with overt physicality, (and words, let's be real) it's hard for me to be 'more' affectionate with people I love. My best interpersonal interaction is to be at ease, comfortable with them, without thinking about how they could be judging me for it- I don't really care if they judge- like they should know me by now lol. Though I can normally sense when people want some assurances from me(hand holding, thank yous, smiles, light touches, words) it's still difficult to want them myself in the first place. I can shower them with praise, sure, but only at my pace, in my control. It's not about whether they deserve it or not, it's specifically about my ability to be that frank with myself even if my love for said person could be overflowing at all times. It's all in my eyes, I like to think.

Now, about Louis. He's not (can't be) as expressive, heart on his sleave, spending love with abandon like Lestat. He's used to keeping his cards close, his face as neutral so as not to give anything away. Be it his family, his queerness, his blackness, his very own nature, anything- it all leads to him being an affection hoarder. Like inside, my man would be bursting with love, pride and joy over Lestat just existing- Louis's eyes saying 'yeah, this is me I'm here and I'm here with you, for you. Do with that what you will' but what shows on his face is a rare, little smile. He hopes Lestat gets it, gets all that he feels. He does believe that Lestat understands him, because of how Lestat just is- so loving and passionate. He can't think of someone this gone over him be illiterate in reading his face. Their first six years went by too fast, didn't they? They were them at their best. Even then, there are times when Louis uses his hold over Lestat to get what he wants. It's not healthy. He's not healthy. But it did work, for them.

By rejecting vampirism, I think, Louis truly didn't weigh in how inadequate he made Lestat feel. So, when the resident Petty Bitch went around and pulled an Antoinette- Louis was rankled with his own fear of inadequacy, coming up short of being "enough". Because, really, feeling needed for what we are is one of the main grievances for people like us.

Jacob said, that moment was the beginning of Louis's bookworm phase, his tether to sanity in between his depressive episodes. Boy, do I know that, been guilty of it for years. He's already over Lestat and whatever they had, slowly drifts between righteous rage and violence until he finds Claudia. The two idiots are back in love for a total of five-six years before shit hits the fan again. This time, he's distraught with no option than blame shifting on Lestat for 'pushing' Claudia to go on a murderous rampage. Which, debatable. He's out of love and zero fucks to give at this point.

Now, I've been known to withdraw affectations when I'm cross with people. Passive - aggressive remarks, cutting gestures, putting brakes on active listening (which is my love language probably) withholding love so to speak. Now, that's like the bare minimum for someone as affection-starved as Lestat. He's still living with Louis because of his abandonment issues- he took that emotional abuse for seven years(actively) succeeding years of resentment and miscommunication. Umm. They were torturing themselves living together, fuck.

He still can't say, "Lestat, I am never going to love you" out loud, that simply isn't true. And believe me, when we are stressed (beaten to a pulp, in this occasion) we want to get away from the aggressor. Hell, my first instinct would be defensiveness and deflection in a normal setting too.

Now, coming back to Jonah. Louis is preternatural here. His eyes are twinkling, he's leaning in close, saying pretty words. He was putting on a show, partly for flirtation purposes, mostly to get a blonde French himbo incredibly regretful of his choices. He's already shown Lestat what he had with Jonah through the mind gift. He's mocking 'yes, Lestat- it's that easy to switch the charm on and off- what I give you is far more tangible, and less taxing on myself. You were getting the real deal here and you squandered it.' And Lestat, the beautiful brain dead beast that he is, took it in the worst possible way. Which understandable, have you looked at Louis!?

tldr; Yes, he did. Atleast he thinks he did. Lestat might say otherwise. Louis is very internal about his feelings, very withholding emotionally and sort of a jerk to Lestat. They both are to each other. Going forward, they're going to need a lot of time apart, and genuine soul searching to reach a point of reconciliation.

Jacob Anderson as LOUIS DE POINTE DU LAC Interview with the Vampire | 1.03