#it’s an actual child and Louis has a responsibility to him

[cyranonic]

I feel like one of the exchanges in S2 that fucks me up the most is this one between Louis and Madeleine that is so pivotal and yet happens basically in the background. It just says so much about who Louis is at this point in his life and why his relationship with Armand is so essentially tragic for them both.

For Armand, the ship has already sailed on betraying Louis and Claudia. He is seconds away from letting the coven ritually murder them and so NATURALLY that is the moment when Madeleine finally confirms the thing that he could never be certain of, the love that he wanted and yet could not quite trust was real. We see that in his face; the misery of that realization.

For Louis, it just devastates me to think about how much of his life has been about hiding his true self, afraid to reveal his softer feelings. In the first episode of the show, he tells Daniel that before Lestat he had never allowed himself to emotionally connect to another man. A big part of this is probably the homophobia of the time period when he was raised. Lestat seems to recognize this when he turns Louis, offering him the chance to be true to himself.

But even after Lestat, we see that Louis still struggles with this. He can allow himself to feel connected to Claudia because she is his child and then his sister. In his mortal life, Louis took on the role of provider for his family, allowing himself to show affection to his mother and sister through his role as a caretaker. Even with Paul, he is both brother and father, caring for him due to his mental illness. Becoming a vampire separated him from familial love, leading him to beg Lestat to turn Claudia so that he can yet again have that love that he connects to being a caretaker.

With Armand, Louis expresses sexual interest, but never emotional closeness. Their dynamic falls into the pattern of dominant and submissive, but without the openly expressed care and security needed to make that relationship work. Just as with Lestat, Louis has a pattern of withholding affection as a form of self-protection. He doesn't want to be vulnerable. He can laugh and joke about the sexual appeal of his partner, but is immediately uncomfortable when Madeleine brings up his deeper feelings.

I think a part of this is derived not just from Louis' queerness and his response to a homophobic society, but also his blackness. In New Orleans, he is constantly emasculated and infantilized by white men. Being called "boy" or being praised for "doing a good job" is a tactic that white supremacists use to remind Louis that he is vulnerable. And after that, combined with the trauma he experienced during his relationship with Lestat, Louis is sick of being vulnerable. So even when he is falling in love, even when his partner is a POC, Louis can't share those feelings. Louis' final words, "he knows," indicate that his withholding isn't malicious or manipulative. It's a hopeful rather than true statement. Louis wants Armand to know, but he shies away from actually having the conversation.

Anyways it's such a gut-punch moment to me that foreshadows how Louis and Armand's relationship had some potential for genuine love within it, but it was also pretty doomed from the start.

[frigidwife]

do you think louis chose/believed armand over claudia in the scene after armand threatens and chokes her? i was under the impression that louis reflexively disagreed with claudia because he didn't want to believe it, but the fact that he also reflexively lit armand's photo on fire makes me think his response to claudia ("he wouldn't do that"/"sit in your choice") was a denial of the real horror he was feeling, that he did believe her and just wished it wasn't true. i rewatched that scene and when he notices the picture is on fire, he waits a second before putting it out, which makes me think his commitment to armand following this scene wasn't out of genuine love, but a strategic choice made out of fear, the same way he martyred himself for lestat to turn claudia. i still see people talking about how much louis and armand did love each other, and i was briefly convinced when madeline called it out (though that scene also contains claudia thanking armand for not treating her like a child, so the legitimacy of the entire scene is thrown into question imo). but after rewatching the season, i don't think they were that devoted to each other. between the actors deliberately playing their flirtations super awkward, the fact that louis never commits until armand threatens claudia and his commitment itself following louis' pattern of chaining himself to his current lover/shark for claudia's survival (a pattern the show goes out of its way to emphasize with lestat's retelling of her turning), and the fact that armand apparently did choose the coven over louis...idk. maybe i'm biased and just sick of the idea that armand and louis' love is some torrid gothic romance when it seems clear that louis and armand's insistence that it was in dubai is deliberately at odds with what we saw, despite how hard they were trying to make it seem that way. even the way they gassed up their first meeting felt staged, and if we're supposed to understand that louis and armand's growing physical distance in dubai denotes emotional/romantic distance as louis' memories are restored, it seems in line to realize that the distance isn't what's new, nor is the performance of love; it's the realization that it is a performance. SORRY this got long, i feel like i'm going a little crazy because i feel the show is saying the exact opposite to much of the analysis on here. in a way i would love to be convinced towards a different perspective because then i could just relax

no i agree with you completely ur not insane and neither am i.... i havent watched that episode in a while but the way the events are sequenced it's not even ambiguous--the relationship with armand is strategic and it has been since the beginning. like i dont think louis's "he wouldn't do that" is even a denial of the kind of person armand is. Bc in the previous episode armand literally almost killed louis for the same secret he's just threatened claudia about. so why would he actually disbelieve her? (laying it out like this i'm realizing why the victim blaming interpretation of louis as ditzy is so prevalent lol.) his frustration reads to me like: i've already sacrificed my freedom and happiness so you can join the coven that you love so much, and now you're saying you don't like the coven? you can't tough it out and trust i have armand handled? the disbelief in "he wouldn't do that" is not that louis wants to believe armand is a better person; it's that louis wants to believe his control over armand is more complete, bc otherwise claudia is right and his sacrifices are doubly pointless. this is the same pattern we saw with louis and his siblings as a human--telling grace to worry about herself, telling lestat how they were four months from bankruptcy; he takes pains to keep them ignorant but then is frustrated they wont register his sacrifice; they see it as him pushing them away (literal knife to paul's throat). louis starting to burn the photograph is him giving up--claudia is ungrateful; this task is impossible. but then the dream lestat which is ofc just louis calls claudia "our daughter" and that's when louis stops burning the photograph of armand. at the reminder that no matter how he tries to accept her as grown and autonomous, she's his child first. and then you can see him double down and regroup--get rid of ghost lestat indulgence to commit fully to companionship with as much control as he can leverage

[donnapalude]

i understand the need to treat discussions about louis's faults towards claudia with care, as he is also a victim of domestic abuse and there is a risk of vilifying him by misplacing blame. at the same time, i find the insistence to frame him as a completely constricted individual, deprived of all agency at all times, with no motives driving him apart from terror, quite reductive, as well as a misguided (although maybe well-meaning) attempt to create the image of a perfect victim whose choices need not and cannot be examined as all leading back to complete coercion and lack of options. i take issue with this for two main reasons. first, stating that finding any moral failure or mixed motivations in a victim of domestic abuse would be wrong because it equates to blaming them for the abuse is actually stating that, well, you somehow hold the underlying idea that if they ever behaved less than perfectly they would be less of a victim. second, there is a strong implication that claudia has no real reason to resent him for his behaviour during the years they spent with lestat. which i think is simply not what the narrative is trying to tell us.

i will not even scratch the surface of this discussion, but just as a start. louis has no fault for his own abuse, nor for not being able to magically manage lestat's behaviour towards claudia. lestat's actions are his own responsibility. turning her while knowing she would be subjected to the inarguable difficulties presented by vampirism, her frozen body, and lestat is also not something he is exactly culpable of: the alternative was to let her die. it is however something he became responsible for. simply in the sense that choosing to give birth (or adopt, if you want to follow that analogy) brings a child under your care. which means that, from that moment on, you have power over them and you are responsible for their emotional and physical well-being. you are not in an equal position, not even as co-victims under the same abuser. duties of protections are not erased by abuse, they are just constricted to the options reasonably available.

what does this mean with regard to his actual treatment of claudia? that he could have protected her better from lestat? i think the answer is we actually don't know and neither does he. and this is often true even for victims/parents of victims in real life. it is impossible to reconstruct a retrospective of what choices would have/could have posed a better result. i don't think establishing this serves any point as an unprovable hypothetical. i rather think the point and the crux of his struggles with himself are the movitations that led to his actual choices (or lack thereof). what we know is the following: lestat was abusive and violent towards both louis and claudia, generating a sensible fear towards his reactions and reasonable hesitance to move against or away from him in any way; louis was however also genuinely in love with him, longed for him, and did not want him truly harmed until the very end; and he was also trying to fullfill his own journey of redemption and dreams of a family through claudia; he was extremely reliant on claudia for his mental-stability (another post needed to fully expound on this, which at some point i hope to write); he was genuinely happy that she chose to stick around the family after 105 and encouraged her to help manage lestat's moods to keep the family stable; however, he was also ready to sacrifice that stability for her when she wanted to escape; due to his love, he could not take an active role in the murder of lestat until the last moments and then stopped the burning that would have ensured his death as definitive.

as always, the picture painted is quite complicated. on one hand, the abuse could explain most of louis's actions, if we were to read them summarised on paper. and yet the show goes to the trouble of reconstructing the personal and at times selfish desires that were intertwined with simple fear in leading his choices. what emerges for me is a very normal human truth, which is that it is simply quite rare that we take decisions based on only one motive: our choices are most often the sum of a number of different interests that converge towards a same center. in this case, maintaining a relationship with lestat and keeping the peace by bending and asking claudia to bend around the management of lestat's anger, were reasonable choices to the end of avoiding further violence. and i am sure he had this in mind. but they also happened to fullfill his desire to be close to lestat and to have a full family of his own, as well as the need to find meaning in his vampiric life, which he textually is not able (at this point) to locate in himself. there were moments of actual sacrifice (eg staying behind with lestat when claudia wants to go away to maximise her chances at escaping), that still don't erase he was in love with lestat and to some extent desired his presence throughout. and there were moments where he blatantly choose other interests over claudia (eg impeding her from finishing lestat), that still don't erase he overall ended up siding with her against his own husband/maker.

the question we and louis are left with is: would he have chosen differently if his own wants and needs were not part of the equation or they were pulling him in a different direction? would he have envisioned other solutions? would those solutions have been better? and most importantly: does it matter? well, i think it does and it doesn't. from a perspective of objective causation, we have no way of knowing if louis deciding to, es. idk, stage a murder attempt as soon as claudia was made could have turned out better: maybe lestat would have killed them both immediately! but from a perspective of subjective intention, it's simply evident to me that louis's loyalties and priorities were not really always fixed on claudia as their only center, they were often divided in multiple directions. claudia was in many ways created for him and lestat, and not viceversa. she was loved and important and he made very loving attempts at prioritising her, but that did not always happen. there were moments of generous self-sacrifice and protection. and there were moments where other factors clearly won out. and then there were more moments where all reasonings merged together. and to be able to hold genuine love for and desire a relationship with your child's abuser, is already a betrayal in itself for the child. claudia never had a full ally in that house and everything in her behaviour shows she knew it. which does not mean louis's decisions also amounted to parental abuse. but i see no sense in denying they were still harmful. there are many ways parents harm children without abusing them.

i really don't see the scandal. this is all terribly human to me, there is nothing i find strange in a victim of domestic abuse having personal wants and aspirations informing choices made in response to the abuse or unrelated but taken under it. what makes a victim a victim is not that they have no secondary motivations to stay with, return, or cater to the abuser apart from practical considerations on how to manage the abuse. it is that, regardless of the motivations behind those behaviours, the abuser chooses to utilise his power to control and terrorise and hurt them. the "label" of abuse is assigned to categorize a pattern of behaviours from the abuser, not the victim. if we believe that to be true, there is then no moral threshold that excludes someone from victimisation. and when there are co-victims, even when they are parent and child, nothing displaces the responsibility of the abuse on them. but i don't believe all moral considerations about how we treat each other are eliminated. victims are still people making choices, as limited at they may be. as long as that is true, to consider only motives we deem morally sound as worthy of recognition is both dehumanising and condemning. moreover, to forget that children are still subjected to their parent's choices, even if said parents are being abused, and that they can be harmed by them, is a misconstruction of the power dynamics of the relationship and an erasure of the experiences of child victims in an attempt to salvage those of the parents from judgment.

this discussion is not about generalisations of harmful victim-blaming stereotypes. it's about analysing one single fictional person whose story of parenthood and victimhood is laid out for us. and my bottom line is: louis was not a perfect parent. to recognise that, does not turn him into claudia's abuser and it does not make him any less of a victim. he is just not a "perfect victim". but we know those dont't exist anyway.

[dahliadew]

The Haunting of the Fortress of Solitude (dp x dc fanfic prompt)

So it finally happened he's been kidded out, well it was bound to happen eventually, from missing class to coming home way past curfew; Danny knows he's been freaking his parents out a lot recently. But he never thought it would come to this point, and it's not like there's a lot he could do about it; if he tells his parents about his ghostly after-school activities, then he runs the risk of being dissected, and it's not like he can go to Jazz or Vlad. One, jazz is finally away at college, and it's not like she has the money or space to house him, and it's not like he'd want to put that responsibility onto her, and two, Vlad is crazy, so he's out the right way. The only remaining option is Aunt Alicia. But he hadn't spoken to her in years, so it was a roll of the dice as to whether or not she'd help him.

So he's on his own in the middle of a heat wave with a core that's mostly made up of pure ice, well sometimes the most straightforward option is the best one, and he, like the dumb ass he is, flies down to the Antarctic, looking for a place to hang out for like a mouth. Or, at the very least, as long as it took to figure something better out.

On his way down how, ever, he found something weird and marvelous. A large, jagged crystal building that sang to his core. Stardust was embedded in the walls of the building, and ice trailed across the floors; it's almost like this building was put here for him specifically. And everything would be perfect if it wasn't for Superman showing up and killing the vibe.

So Danny does what he does best and becomes the best darn ghost that he can be to get his so hideout back. Later, he learns that this is actually Superman's (sorta) house, but well, gosh darn it, he's got squatters' rights, so if Superman wants him gone, he's going to haft to evict him himself.

Superman, however, has been having a bad time lately. Things at the daily planet have been tuff with his boss getting on him for missing meetings, Louis going on a two-week trip to Gotham to do a profile of the hottest man of the year three years running Bruce "Brucie" Wayne and to top it all off there something in the fortress of solitude. At first, he was worried that some animal had somehow gotten into the building, but he knew he would have seen it already. He's already looked over the whole building with X-ray vision, and other than a few bears roaming around the building; he hasn't been able to find anything.

But regardless, so far, not only have four of his super and regular suits been accosted in fine-grade glitter, but his minimal furniture is also moved just slightly to the left (including the central console THAT IS BOLTED TO THE FLOOR). Black voids have even started to engulf his vision when he enters certain building parts, with his vision only clearing when he emerges in different parts of the building than where he was before.

What Clark doesn't know is that the fortress itself is somewhat sentient, and with the arrival of what it perceives as another lost son of Krypton, it is more than happy to play with what it sees as a young child. Plus, the fortes thinks Ka-EL needs to let loose more often and playing with this child will help both destress him and help train the baby that showed up on its literal doorstep.

As for Superman, Ok, maybe it's gone beyond the scope of what he can deal with, but he's having a bad day, and he refuses to lose to whatever the heck is in his house. And he would have continued to do this if not for the fact strange portals opened periodically with otherworldly eyes and limbs reaching out and brushing against him as he walked through the halls. Ok, maybe it's time to call Batman.

So he does. He calls him, and you know damn well that he is polite about it, so there is no reason for Batman to hang up before continuing the call. (he knows B is laughing at him, even if B never laughs, he KNOWS). When he gets a hold of Batman again, it takes less than three minutes for the two of them to decide they need to get Constantine.

Once they finally get him into the building itself, it takes Batman virtually breathing down John's neck to keep him from running out the door, which is odd because as soon as the other two show up, everything seems to return to normal. That is until John starts to draw some seals along the floor then a voice rings out, crying, demanding that they stop. And it's here that, for the first time, Clark comes face to face with what he thinks is the ghost of a Kryptioian child. And things get confused further when Danny, not understanding the conversation entirely, plays into the ghost angle, thinking it will make them leave. But instead, Clark is both horrified and delighted that there is a child's ghost in his home, someone with a direct connection to his home world. As for Batman and John, they both realize they need to do something quickly; otherwise, Superman may have a heart attack. They do not need another ghost on their hands.

As time passes, the two end up sorting things out, even with Batman's paranoia and John's skepticism and end up living together both in Antarctica and Metropolis, with Danny flying between the two at his leisure. But eventually, Danny knows he needs to transform back into his human form, and with Superman constantly hanging around him, finding time to do that becomes complicated. So when he eventually does transform back in the midst of a battle with a powerful magical enemy, Superman, in shock, thinks that Dan-El has somehow come back to life but in a hybrid Kryptonian/human form. And so he, as the resident alien on Earth, takes it upon himself to try to teach him how to be human on Earth. Now Danny, on top of everything, has to pretend to be both an alien from a species he knows little to nothing about and also now act like a human who isn't supposed to know anything about being human. Well, that's just great, but at least he doesn't need to worry about paying rent anymore.

[blueiight]

can i ask your thoughts on the fandom’s heavy focus on louis as an object of desire? it sometimes feels to me like people are more interested in other characters reacting to louis than they are in louis himself. i know the “helen of troy” stuff is a joke but it genuinely seems like he’s often rendered oddly passive in his desirability, like we’re looking at him through the eyes of the other characters even though it’s his story (to be clear: in the fandom, not the actual show). or am i being uncharitable? either way, you always have interesting things to say about fandom reception.

i think the focus of louis as an object of desire arose largely in response to a lot of racially-charged nonsense about show louis, namely, where a loud minority of fans tried to deny the abuse and horror of season 1 and frame louis as the primary antagonist/abuser of his own story. which in of itself had the potential to go somewhere, especially considering the feminized role louis occupies in parts of season 1. unfortunately its spiraled off into its own dead end at this point to where now people, a year and a half removed from the release of s1, can box louis's character arc into this tale of getting all the hot boys to look her way. when this is a horror and tragedy series. romance is part of that, but is a piece of the full picture. classic romance is very much horror tbh but thats just me

if we're discussing the show strictly, majority of louis's relationships are antagonistic. even with his lovers, they love him as much as they seek to control him. 'his love is a small box that he keeps you in', trailer louis saying 'i knew who i was without those pieces [of myself?]' . so on and so forth. the first three episodes of season 1 are about louis's struggle to maintain a link with his mortal community, in the midst of increasing racist tensions against the city leaders, all as he struggles to come to terms with his existence as a vampire and how his relationship to lestat fits in relation to all these pieces of himself. doubly so, there is also the nature of the second interview in present time, and the sort of antagonism between daniel + louis as louis eventually pushes daniel into burning the old tape. the latter half of season 1, episodes 4-7 is squarely about the triad of lestat, louis, and claudia, how lestat increasingly tightens his hold over them both, claudia breaking them free of it, and louis's response to such. doubly so, daniel becomes more hostile the less he knows, and the more louis's composed 'master of his instincts' personage collapses to show the broken man thats underneath. armand comes in at the end bc the interview has reached a breaking point once more [as it did in the 1970s]. i know, im looking too hard into the meme, but so much of where louis errs, where his memory falters, where history is completely revised, has to do with the question of claudia. even book interview foundationally was about this grief, though not nearly with the level of depth+ gravity the show has added to the story.

where focusing on louis as an 'object of desire' most impedes analysis has to do with claudia as well, bc if u see louis as that solely, then what is claudia to u if not a 'child interfering in [louis's] romantic affairs'? why are people already seeking to write claudia off as a wayward child unduly 'taking out her anger on louis', when it was louis at the end of season 1 who strangled her against the wall and refused to let her burn lestat? when its louis in the trailer thats throwing claudia's words from season 1 back at her, evading her questions in the cafe? when claudia is having to dress as a baby doll and advertise with a sandwich board for a theater + a coven-master that all want her dead?

i think this is by nature of the fact that iwtv is canonly gay and isnt afraid of showing that, and modern fandom is mainly interested in romance. claudia's relationship to louis is secondary, if not tertiary, to all 'camps' of this tiny tiny fandom bc she is clearly established in s1 as not being a viable romantic option for louis, despite claudia's perspective and her story taking up the second half of the first season, and will continue to be important in the second season. the 'helen of troy' fixation on his desirability in relation to romantically viable vampires [or even men] seems to be another means by which fans can ignore this part of the story, just as the mutual abuse nonsense about louis being clarence thomas the third self hating black man who stole lestat's lunchables and is 'just as bad as the rest' drowned out and continues to drown out any other conversation for the past year and a half. it is very difficult to have conversations on this character precisely bc of this state of fandom, where many people seek to crack the whip over a fictional character for not being mother teresa and having a complex response to trauma, then instead of discussing that, some seek to fixate on the fact that mother teresa can be sexy, actually. when thats not the point. why is modern louis so full of grief and all but suicidal in dubai, if not for the fact that claudia is permanently dead, he still lives, he regrets something, and wants to find the truth under it all? the jokes are cute and all, but lets put our thinking caps on.

[nichenarratives]

Asymmetrical Atrocity

An Obscure Oneshot

Inspiration Art by Tracy J Butler

Mordecai Heller has done a lot of dastardly things in his line of work. He murdered the competition, tortured information from the mouths of gangsters and threw numerous bodies into both rivers surrounding Saint Louis, all at the behest of his savior turned employer. Atlas May is a discerning man of many accomplishments, one who knows when to conduct a business intervention to protect his investments, and when a massacre is the only way to send a message, which is what Mordecai manages alongside Viktor, his cohort.

The tom tuxedo appreciates swift, decisive action as much as the entrepreneur who owns the Lackadaisy Speakeasy. As such, he rarely finds grievance with expectation, carrying out every assignment with extreme prejudice and efficiency. Alongside Viktor's sheer strength and bulk, they form a formidable partnership that's seen the underground liquor spring swell in popularity, creating quite the business for the ever-ambitious Atlas May.

This is work Mordecai excels at, even prefers despite the moral ambiguity most would consider troubling. What he doesn't enjoy are the languid, supposedly quiet stretches of time between jobs, where he is forced to attend Mrs May's exhaustingly raucous parties. Sometimes, he can convince Atlas to let him work instead and buries his nose in the Little Daisy Cafe's books, changing expenses and stock to hide their underground extracurriculars.

But not tonight.

Atlas is out of town collecting his goddaughter - why anyone would want responsibility for a child that isn't even theirs is beyond Mordecai - and taken Viktor with him, meaning other than the band and Horatio, everyone to step foot inside the Lackadaisy that evening would be a potential threat to his wife's life. Atlas has specifically ordered his sharpshooter to stay close to her all evening, so there is no escaping it.

Tonight, he's Mitzi May's bodyguard.

While he never needs an excuse to dress properly, the tom had taken time to dress correctly for tonight; a black three piece suit over a crisp, white shirt, his trademark blood red tie pressed and carefully secured about his neck before it's tucked into his waistcoat and secured with a silver pin, a holster on each shoulder each containing loaded pistols (obscured under his jacket, for security), a knife in each garter beneath his slacks and of course, the piece de resistance - a pocket square matching his tie.

His wayward hair carefully smoothed down and pince-nez shined to perfection, he'd reported to Mrs May's rooms at precisely six, as requested. He at least feels at home dressed up - poor Viktor always looks ridiculously uncomfortable in a suit - even if he's dreading the actual party. He takes a moment to check his pocket square is properly placed before rapping his knuckles on her door. 

"Come in, door's open."

The reply is immediate, but Mordecai hesitates on the threshold, hand still curled and raised uselessly in the air. He assumed she'd be ready on time. As such, the possibility of entering her room was not considered. He hangs in purgatory for a long moment, trapped between refusal and potential repercussions should anything happen to her in the next few seconds, then sighs and pushes the door open.

"Good evening, Mrs May," he greets upon entry, closing the door behind him before surveying the room. Not one to keep a clean house but hardly a slob either, Mitzi's room is clean but in general disarray; her bed isn't made, the closet hangs open, and her vanity table is cluttered with numerous vials, pots, lipsticks and more he doesn't care to identify. "It's time to welcome your esteemed guests into the Lackadaisy Speakeasy."

Mitzi sits at her vanity, leaning close to finish her makeup. She doesn't look over when Mordecai walks in, but an eye does track his reflection. "Of course," she says, pausing to dab her finest brush into the liquid eyeliner bottle. Satisfied it's sufficiently soaked, she raises it back to her face and returns her gaze to the ceiling. "I'm just finishing up, sweetie. Take a seat if you like."

Pale lips curl into a grimace. "No, thank you," he refuses, as politely as he can manage. Mordecai has no idea when she last changed the sheets - he prefers to change his weekly, when possible - nor if she's ever dusted. He doesn't intend to find out by coating his pristine suit in dust. His tail flicks slightly in agitation as he stays by the door. "I'll wait here."

"Suit yourself," Mitzi responds, accustomed to the odd tom after years of his service. She once tried to loosen the man up by asking about his family, but that only seemed to make him more distant. Since then, she's left Mordecai to his own devices, allowing Atlas to handle his peculiarities. Her own interactions with the tuxedo cat are more for entertainment than friendship now. "Are you going to dance tonight? I've invited plenty of young ladies who'd love to-"

"I'd rather not be in attendance," Mordecai answers flatly, his chin lifted very slightly as he grimaces. Mitzi suppresses a sigh as she sits back and studies her eyeliner. Makeup is such a chore sometimes, but a necessity when you have an image to keep. Satisfied, she screws the cap back on the bottle and wipes the brush off on cotton wool, an ear turned to her bodyguard as he continues. "However, Mr May has requested my attendance, therefore it is unavoidable."

The dolled-up feline hums in agreement; Mordecai isn't an enthralling party guest, unless you wish to listen to a man describe the main differences between monocotyledons and dicotyledons in excruciating detail, all in a flat monotone. If she had a choice, she'd have kept Viktor. At least could be loosened up with a drink or ten. "Well, I'm ready. Why don't we take our delightful conversation down to the-"

Glancing at Mordecai's reflection, she sees his eyes narrow, and Mitzi releases a tired huff. "What?" She asks as she turns around to face the pedantic accountant. An ear twitch and a deeper frown is the only response she gets, to which Mitzi glares right back. Atlas might enjoy his nonverbal communication, but she finds it irritating. "Come on, spit it out, Mordecai. The guests aren't getting any younger."

"Your eyeliner," the tom responds flatly. Mrs May turns back to the mirror and scrutinizes her reflection closely, checking for drips and smudges, or misplaced drops on her otherwise flawless skin and outfit. She's practically going insane trying to find the problem when Mordecai finally finished speaking. "Is asymmetrical."

She almost groans. Almost. Why does the man have to be so peculiar? "Is that all?" She asks, waving off his concern to instead fluff up her hair some more, running fingers through the freshly washed waves. They slide effortlessly from root to tip, as perfect as Mitzi planned. "No one will care if it's a little crooked once they taste the liquor, sweetie. My darling Atlas secured the best from Canada in our last shipment. They won't be sober long enough to notice."

"I've noticed," Mordecai asserts, finally stepping away from the door to approach his employer's wife. "Respectfully, should I spend the majority of your precious event distracted by symmetrical sacrilege, my efficacy will be compromised."

Mitzi turns in her seat and regards her employee tiredly, only to shrug a moment later. "Eyeliner is a fine art, sweetie. It could take hours to get it entirely even on both sides. We can't leave our guests waiting that long, can we?" Thinking she has him dead to rights, the feline woman opens both eyes and smirks at her husband's golden boy confidently. "Unless you can fix them in five minutes, it'll have to do."

If she's expecting some kind of emotional reaction, Mitzi is sorely mistaken. Mordecai glances at the discarded brush on the vanity, then the uneven lines framing her upper lids. He's fairly sure a child could do better, but for once, the tom decides to keep that thought to himself and instead looks around the room. Locating a small chaise, he pulls it over to the vanity - much to Mitzi's dismay. "What are you-"

Turning over the seat cushion before sitting down to avoid the dust, he then raises his hands, palms open expectantly. "Your brush and face paint," he requests with his expression set seriously, flexing his fingers for emphasis. "And erase your attempts of both eyes entirely. I prefer a blank canvas."

For the next seven minutes, Mordecai leans towards the other feline, coaching her which eye to close, where to look and sometimes, informing minor technique corrections he suggests for the future. Mitzi stays quiet and complies with his requests, mostly from pure curiosity if he'll be able to paint eyeliner as cleanly as he aims a pistol. She's not met a man who can frame an eye right yet, so she might even forgive his arrogance if he does a good enough job. 

The few times she does look at Mordecai directly, his gaze is intense and focused, fine lips pressed into a finer line in the depths of focus. Mitzi isn't sure he's ever been so close before - even when she was having him tailored for fresh, tidy suits and had to measure his neck ad-hoc for the collar. It's honestly disconcerting and she quickly looks away.

"There," he finally states after what feels like a year. Entirely uninvited, Mordecai takes a gentle hold of her chin and turns her head from side to side to inspect his handiwork. Taken by surprise, Mitzi allows him to do so until he hums in approval and releases her, only to grimace at the powder residue now on his fingers. "I will never understand the need to slather your face in chemicals, but it is now symmetrical, at least. I'll wash my hands, then we can go."

Taking the brush and pot when they're offered, Mitzi turns to the mirror to inspect his work and is pleasantly surprised to find he's framed her eyes beautifully. He even added a small whisper of eyeliner off the lid and extended it slightly to her cheek, giving the impression of fuller lashes when her eyes are open. Mrs May blinks, tilting her head from side to side, marveling at how fine it is and indeed, how symmetrical the quiet sharpshooter has managed to make them.

"Let's get this over with," Mordecai mutters as he re-enters the room, adjusting the cufflinks beneath his suit jacket. His eyes land on Mitzi, once again staring in the mirror, and an irritated murr slips through pursed lips. "Mrs May, while I admire your devotion to setting an immaculate visage in your husband's absence, there is only so much superficial modification careful artistry can achieve. Let's go."

It was in that moment, as Mordecai stalked for the door to hold it open like the gentlemanly type he certainly had not just spoken like, Mitzi decided she'd convinced the girls that dancing with her reclusatory bodyguard was the pinnacle of high society.

Insert the ficus comic here…

[nightcolorz]

im a show-only fan (the knowledge i have of the books is based on how much ppl post about it lol) and i was wondering what louis thinks of marius?? both in the books or what your headcanon is?

the only time I remember Louis and Marius interacting in this books is in a scene in queen of the damned where Marius consoles Louis over Lestat being kidnapped by akasha and he offers him support, and then offers to walk him home. Marius likes Louis and he admires that he’s so human in comparison to the other vampires. He definitely sort of pity’s him tho, and considers him weak and in need of help from someone stronger. In Merrick there’s a line where we r told that marius offered Louis a sip of his blood so that he would be physically stronger and Louis declines bcus he doesn’t want to be powerful. (for context in the books Louis is a drastically different character, and a big part of his whole deal is that he is physically very weak in comparison to other vampires bcus of his restrictive diet).

it’s unclear what Louis thinks of Marius in the books. When they interact he’s friendly and polite to him, but in the books Louis is friendly and polite to everyone in a very southern way. He’s kind of a two sided bitch 💀 the way he interacts with ppl is rarely reflective of how he feels about them. So it’s possible that Louis is only polite to Marius out of social responsibility and actually is pissed off by him 💀😭. Which would make sense imo, since a lot of Marius’s feelings about Louis consist of considering him weak and helpless, in a sort of condescending and pitying way.

one thing about show Louis is that he definitely doesn’t like to be condescended too 😭 or treated like he’s lesser then someone else. I assume that show louis will not like Marius 💀 and probably be a little bit more open about it, cuz show louis doesn’t tend to take shit the way book louis does. I also like to think that show Louis has morals that are at least strong enough to be like “this guy had sex with my ex husband of 77 years when he was a child so I don’t like him” 😭😭

[desertfangs]

I haven't yet read the books (there's so many!) I've only watched the iwtv movie and TV show and I love Claudia in both but I've had people tell me in the books she's awful and considered to be one of the series villains. Idc about spoilers I just wanna know how true that is bc I dunno if I'd want to read that lol

Hi anon! I was excited to see your ask this morning because I'm gonna tell you something: Claudia was one of my first favorite characters in the series and her death devastated me. Louis was my first fav (understandable, he's literally the protagonist of the first book, we're meant to sympathize with him!) and when he lost Claudia and became numb in his grief, I related. I hated Armand for what happened to Claudia and I held a grudge for a long time.

Anyhow, I can't speak to the show so much as I've only seen season 1, but if you like the 94 movie, you will probably like the novel Interview with the Vampire. It's a pretty close adaptation.

To get to the heart of your question, no, Claudia not an awful villain. Anymore than Louis or Lestat are. If anyone is a villain in IwtV, it's Armand, and even he is not a mustache-twirling evil guy.* Everyone in this series in morally gray and does terrible stuff. I emphasize that because I've been in this fandom for a long time and I've seen all kinds of arguments about who is evil and who is not, and the fact is, all of our vampires do questionable things. That's sort of the point. So it's arguable how much there even is a villain in IwtV outside of Louis' own depression and grief, but Armand probably gets that honor.

Claudia in the books was turned around the age of 5. She is a very small, doll-like child who doesn't seem to retain much, if any, memory of her human life. She is more purely a vampire than Louis or Lestat can really fathom because she lacks that humanity and a connection to humans. She's a natural hunter and killer.

She doesn't understand Louis' sentimentality for humans, and resents Lestat for withholding information she knows he has about their kind. She is a complex and fascinating woman trapped in the body of a small child to the point where even Louis, who loves her dearly, cannot really see her as an adult and struggles to accept her agency. She does manipulate both her parents, in part because they don't often see her as a capable equal, which she very much is.

She does eventually rise up to kill to Lestat out of desperation. She believes he will not let Louis go and knows she can't travel around alone, given her appearance. Lestat himself is devastated by this and by her loss, and even says later he understands why she did it. That he probably deserved it for what he'd done to her, which was trap her forever in the body of a very young child, something he admits was selfish. (And something Marius had actually warned him against doing beforehand, LOL!!)

Like in the movie and the show, she does die at the Theatre des Vampires, and Armand is more responsible for that than I've heard he is on the show (he tells Louis he couldn't have stopped it, only to later reveal he orchestrated it, which Louis knew the whole time).

She appears later in The Tale of the Body Thief mocking Lestat and acting as a sort of voice for his subconscious, but she is just his hallucination in he book. He's dealing with a lot of trauma and grief and that manifests itself as Claudia's ghost.

Where you might be hearing she's a villain is from Merrick, where both her diary and spirit appear and are... not very nice. I gotta say, I am not convinced that is actually the spirit of Claudia that gets conjured, and even if it is, it's possible she's been warped somehow. But I also haven't read that book in decades and often tend to ignore it, so I am not an expert on that score.

I hope this helps! I'm always happy to answer questions about the books! (They are my special interest, if you cannot tell.)

But I do want to say that if you are a fan of the show and curious about the books--which are very different!--I highly recommend you read at least the first few yourself. The best way to judge if you'll like the book versions of the characters and story is to experience it yourself. There's a lot of misinformation that gets passed along about the books, and a lot of misinterpretation due to that because people just repeat what they've heard without having read them. And hey, they still may not be your cup of tea, and that's totally fine! But you won't know if you don't try, you know?

Anyhow, thank you so much for the ask! 💖 Claudia is awesome and deserves more love in the book fandom, but because she dies so early on, she doesn't get as much attention sadly.

*And even when he is, we love him.

[dxxtruction]

I sort of divorce Armand from the larger moral implications of the trail, and what I mean by that is - while he still falls at fault for all of them, and further had a morally special position to prevent it that he takes on additional fault for - his primary concerns are actually divorced from anything that's even going on. In other words, to get at understanding Armand I sort of have to take on his own position. He's rather self possessed and his only actual goal is to ensure he has stable 'love' (even if it can never be real or reciprocated without high control obligations/fear/threat/or lies both to himself and other(s)).

"I did not see your love lasting as long" = he sees the coven as a source of love. Which he'd accept, even in a debased position, if it meant a consistent stability in knowing he is 'loved' (if a fucked up idea of it).

So, if the coven wants to do this whole production he doesn't care how it goes, or what its implications even are, or would achieve, so long as he gets what he's after. (Meaning Claudia is little to no object to him in this, but to the coven they (C, L, and M), and the racist and public humiliation done onto them, are the primary objective.) He appeases this objective to get at and earn his own, rather than it coming from himself, or his own beliefs. Of which are only self serving, and morally bankrupt to begin with (generally he's moral, as he has certain values about being good, but he's extremely okay with doing amoral, and violent things if it serves his own interests). Since his objectives only extend to Louis, Claudia is killed. He never loved her in any way, and saw her as worthless for it, so she's killed.

Armand probably would've preferred, though, that she run off with Madeleine and Louis stay with him, but because he has such strong objectives about maintaining 'love' at all costs he gives to the covens wishes to earn it from them. (At least this is the impression I get from how he looks so defeated and sad by it, like he's not gloating in this).

He ties literally all his worth an existence onto others need and desire of him, and so puts himself in an awkward position where he believes he's nothing if he can't have someone to possess or to alternatively possess him (Thank you Marius de fucking Romanus /s). This idea about worth naturally gets projected onto everyone else, (again fucking thank you you actual prick). And the more worthless you are to the world to him the more he doesn't think you deserve to live, or there is a point to your existence.

The ideal of a worthy person to him is Marius (eugh yeuck), and the things Marius imbued into him as things which are valuable or which make him valuable. (Success, sex, beauty, intelligence, devout servitude, etc.)

This whole thing is why I'm also of the opinion he let Lestat do it (and/or he planned for it) so, come time for things, he has/could give himself a choice (however unworthy of it he is) between Louis and the coven. He's after his own self worth, and the image of this self worth is torn between the two.

"Who am I Louis?"

The only way he'd personally think he'd be worthy of it from Louis, I'd say, is if he was already fully divorced from all the implications so didn't see himself as responsible for them. Moreover, he was probably under legitimate threat by the coven, however shallow of one it may look to be, which would further cement this idea. Even if he did come to realize his own guilt and shame about it, maybe even recognize how at fault for it he was (hence later hiding in lies about it). As events were proceeding he'd effectively removed blame off himself, and remained innocent by his own mental framing of being helpless to prevent anything (perhaps unconsciously).

But anyway, he casts himself as helpless and this achieves unwarranted sympathy from Louis, and further, convincing the coven they're in control (he's using the tactic of a child crying), so he can come out on top of whatever choice he then ends up with. What's a bit interesting is that (I hope I'm remembering this right) he encourages Louis to leave again right before he goes to tear everything down. So this either implies he wants to give Louis a choice still, to go free, or had already chosen the coven over him. If it's the former I think that's important, because it shows he does see others have some inherent value outside himself. But (sadly) can't apply that same understanding to himself. (Which, again, might mean this idea he was helpless isn't deliberate. He's just screwed up like that, consistently under an impression that he just is. Which is the biggest lie there is perhaps, but given his life, something I can deeply understand, even relate, to where it comes from).

As a disclaimer this is just an explanation I've come to, as it makes sense to me, explaining partly as well his further abusive behaviors, and is not me trying to agree with his position. He doesn't deserve forgiveness in all this, and is at fault for everything he is shown to be doing or simultaneously not doing.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Do you think when Armand eventually returns and has interactions with Louis that they will be a bit awkward given the revelations that led to the breakup and Louis’ journey at the end of last season? Do you think Armand has remorse or he is just bothered that Louis eventually figured it all out with Daniel’s help? I am still trying to understand Armand as a character as I have not yet read the books. Did he love Louis or was their entire seven decade ‘relationship’ just something of convenience for him so that he wouldn’t be alone? I have seen discussions that Armand is obsessed with Lestat and since Louis was with Lestat as well and had this full organic relationship with a daughter where Lestat loved Louis in ways he never ever did with Armand he was envious of that. I don’t envision Louis being mean or spiteful but quiet and introspective. I don’t think he will have much to say to Armand and want to move forward given how hurtful that revelation was. How do you think Lestat will react from his original pov that we have yet to see about Armand’s hand in Claudia’s death? It appears from episode eight that he still holds a lot of self blame for her death despite knowing he was there because of Armand and Armand was the actual one who directed all of it

Lestat knows Armand. THAT is why he holds himself way more responsible for Claudia's death than, well, Armand.

Armand... is a child in a way, caught in an immortal body, he has not matured beyond what he was supposed to be for others. Not yet.

And yes, Armand is canonically quite obsessed with Lestat - that will be part of the tale in season 3. And in upcoming seasons, I'd wager, since theirs is a very weird love-hate-spurned relationship. Instant attraction, and then Armand blew it, and in a way that makes sure there would never be something between him and Lestat ... and they are stuck there, in (later) mutual affection and understanding, but not... like that. Never the final step. As such it will be interesting to see if the show will extend that to Louis, as is the setup in the book... that said, I always underline that there was love there. Armand did come to love Louis. That is why Louis is not dead after all.

I don't think Armand will return to Dubai, no. I think he will travel alone for a bit. Show up at Lestat's concerts, or haunt Daniel's steps. Or flee from Daniel.

But now that Louis has thrown him out he will not return to Louis, now. And this Louis... this Louis didn't leave Armand behind without caring (as in the book) - no this Louis... this Louis left him behind in anger, and with the feeling of betrayal.

That feeling has to settle first, for a while.

I don't see that happening that soon, tbh.

[prettysweetprettysweet]

I spend so much time dwelling on whether there was any sincere sorrow from Lestat in the story we were told, which is almost certainly pointless but I'm vindictive and hold grudges and always crave vengeance and feel an enormous amount of righteous indignation on Louis' behalf, so at this point for me the single most spiritually and emotionally satisfying thing that could happen in season two is Lestat truly recognizing all the pain he's caused and becoming completely dismantled by the weight of his guilt (and in a way that affords him absolutely no sympathy!!)

on that note...the show has us assume that Lestat stowed Antoinette a town away 'by design' in a bid to be discovered and catalyze some sort of passionate reaction from Louis, that Louis' actual reaction of numbness, dissociation, and suicidality was near immediate and kept completely inside, that Antoinette was listening in during this period, and that Lestat was aware of it enough at least to opine to Claudia that Louis couldn't pick an apple in his current state and that he is in worse shape at that point than he ever was during Claudia's absence. Sam mentioned that by this time Lestat was able to hear their thoughts.

I wonder with his chronic self-absorption if he had managed to draw a line from his own actions to their impacts, if it truly registered for Lestat that through his machinations and manipulations he bent Louis so far that he broke in half, that Louis was hurting in a way and with an intensity that he had never hurt before, and that Lestat more-or-less extinguished the flame that made Louis so beautiful in the first place. Did he feel any responsibility and did it cause him sorrow? of course from the story that we've seen so far, its nearly impossible to ascertain Lestat's genuine position emotionally and mentally at any given point.

one moment that causes me to stop is the bench scene when Louis thinks to Claudia 'every night i feel a little crazier' and Lestat makes this face and rapidly jumps up to leave:

with the assumption that Lestat heard this, this could be any number of emotions: exasperation, rage, denial/evasion, fear. but i want it to be at least somewhat sadness and guilt and painful recognition of the ways he is responsible for his husband's devolution into a crazy and suicidal state, his husband who is suffering exactly like Lestat's first love Nicolas, and is increasingly indicating that he will end up exactly like him.

I'm inclined to think he is feeling guilt/sadness/worry because of the way he parts with an earnest and understated declaration of love. to me it just seems like the subtle quietness of it would be the best way to reach Louis through the fog. it's also really delicate and caring in a way that reminds me of how you might talk to a child who has the flu.

the dead look on Louis' face is devastating. I think that because Lestat knows his husband is sick, he's trying to offer warmth and reassurance and encouragement. keep going because i love you. please remember i love you.

[hallucinatinghalos]

I wonder how the show is going to approach Marius. Will we see his actions as that of a controlling ancient all too willing to muck around in lesser vamps minds and manipulate their emotions, their free-will? Someone that uses the vulnerable, those at their lowest and takes advantage. A predator by most any definition. But also the compellingly dutiful, reclusive old man chained to his obligations, burdened by time and the weight of his responsibilities. Will we see him through Lestat's eyes? A desperately wanted father figure that is always justified. A wise and charming elder sitting on his pedestal. A savior. Lestat is an admiring child around him and I read it as clouding every perception he has of him, but will that translate to the show's narrative? And Armand, the fledgling that he's discarded, he's ignored, that he's abandoned after wronging him so completely and in so many ways, yet who seems to still long for the familiarity of his maker, to love him. To mourn him. I wonder how that will look, and I dread it for Armand. How will the other characters approach him? Louis? Daniel? I can imagine so many scenarios I'd like to see but I know they're nothing compared to what we'll actually witness. Anyway, not a fan of Marius but they're all monsters and they've all done awful things to each other, yet we love them (even when we love to hate them.) I'm excited to see where they go with him. We've been seduced by the tale before, and I can't wait for more.

[donnapalude]

it seems to be a widely held opinion that claudia's attempt to be considered a sister was a sweet but unrealistic illusion. and i concur that you can't really stop being someone's daughter, insofar as the past can't be rewritten. but i don't know that i fully agree that lestat was "right" by saying you can't just change a family configuration. what he meant by it was accurate to the situation at the time, but i wouldn't say it holds universally.

translating the scene through lestat's lenses, what he meant to convey was that, by virtue of him being claudia's father-maker, it was impossible for them to renegotiate their power dynamic so that she could stop being subjected to his will. this due to a set of pragmatic considerations: i) in the context in which he was raised, there was little to no way for a child (or a wife) to obtain autonomy outside the patriarchal reach, and the situation in nola is not that different; ii) the difference in vampiric power between them; iii) his exclusive access to information and knowledge about the vampire world that would leave claudia and louis defensless without him. the factual nature of the power imbalance entails that by reworking the practical and societal conditions surrounding the family, roles can in fact change! there's still work to be done, but some years down the line from that scene a daughter will be able to stop being such! legally even! vampiric knoweldge can be gained and vampiric power also. it's still difficult to actually match your maker for both and there's the vampiric bond to account for, the role of which is not really clear yet in iwtv, but still the possibility exists. and despite the fact his words actually reflect lestat's worldview and, at the time of the scene, also the reality claudia and louis live in, lestat is also aware that some change can come. he has after all escaped his own patriarchs and abusers over time. and in fact he holds on even more tightly to those practical means of subjugation, because he knows everyone's role is predicated upon them.

apart from structural and material power, the specificity of a parent/child bond clearly contains other nuances. the main discriminators from other types of relationship are the intense responsibilities for caretaking (practical and emotional) that, ideally, should only flow one way. except this aspect also gets complicated, even in normal human relationships. once children grow and parents age, it is not uncommon for this paradigm to be inverted. and for younger children, heavy parentification over formative years eliminates the paradigm altogether. factoring vampirism in this makes the situation even more complex. as lestat is a father figure to both by virtue of being their maker, louis and claudia are in some ways also siblings under a shared authority. not at the beginning maybe, when claudia is so much younger that she would functionally be louis's child even if she was his actual sister. but that is certainly true later, as she matures and lestat is back to rule over them. on top of that, in the meantime, claudia also undergoes a more regular role-reversal, as for a time she is louis's sole caretaker while he is able to provide little but companionship to her. which is not only a change in the configuration of their daily activities. as a child your parents are not really full people: they exist only as the facet of their being that is supposed to provide for you. when you are forced to see them in their entirety, they inevitably stop being only your parents. other roles get added: friends, dependants, partners. but you can hardly go back to the before. and, as vampires have long lives, it is very easy for me to imagine the possibility of this kind of relationships going through a plethoras of iterations, until you feel little connection with the version of yourself that was once a child in someone's arms. this is not even touching potential incestual readings, because i am trying to stick to the show, which has mostly avoided them.

all of this is to say that framing claudia's proposal to be considered a sister as naive and unfounded fails in my opinion to capture the complexity of how actual families work and also the specific pain underneath this proposal. i don't think with her request claudia is simply trying to get flimsy recognition of a role that would make her feel less subjected to lestat's power (she knows she is not safe anyway). and i also don't think it's a way to justify exculpating louis to herself (she is already doing that by recognising his position as a victim of domestic abuse). although i do feel that with regard to louis specifically she at least sees a possibility to be a true sister due their solidal position as fledglings/children of lestat, while she would prefer being nothing to lestat and escaping him, i think what she is generally asking while she is stuck at home is simply for lestat and louis to recognise formally that their respective roles to each other have already changed substantially. lestat believes patriarchal power begets responsibilities over the family (protection from external harm, economic support etc.) and this regardless of the debate on how well he performs them and how hypocritical the system becomes when it doesn't include protection from the patriarch himself. and to an extent louis agrees (he also felt the same responsibility towards his family, although his patriarchal role was ill-fitting). but claudia is asking them to consider that actually the paradigm should be inverted and it is responsibility that should beget power. parents should have power over children only insofar as they have a duty to take care of them when they are unable to provide for themselves. even discounting claudia's age (as her mental age increasing while physically she remains a young girl complicates matters with respect to how much she needs louis and lestat to navigate the world) the fact remains that, by failing to give her care and protection, by withdrawing the support she was owed and leaving her to fend for herself, by actively harming her, they have renegated that responsibility and the power that comes with it. by making her take care of louis and then making her responsible for mainting the happiness of their marriage they have even shifted that responsibility to her. in other words, they have functionally treated her as an adult when it suited them, while still wanting to treat her as a child when they needed her to come to heel. this is why i don't believe her request to be neither delusional nor absurd. it may be naive in the sense that she is placing too much trust in two men that fundamentally do hold patriarchal values (although louis makes a good attempt at battling his). and of course she can never erase the fact that she was their daughter originally: even if betrayed, you never really lose the expectation of receiving that unconditional love that asks for nothing. if she was only sister, she would not feel the pain of disappointment. but saying it was inevitable and appropriate that they could only ever see her as a daughter removes a lot of culpability from them and frames her story as something that it is not. it implies that she was really only a child, that louis and lestat were correct in recognizing that and that the tragedy of her life stems from her inability to accept the impossibility of growing up.

i simply disagree. i think iwtv makes a clear case to say that claudia does reach emotional (if not physical) maturity and that she has all the abilities and responsibilities of an adult. so when lestat and louis don't recognize that, they are not right. or at least not fully. there can be sweetness in a parent's residual instinct for protection that does not translate to stifling. but in this case, they are also projecting their own desire for control (lestat) and guilt over failed father/motherhood (louis) on claudia and fitting her into the role that best serves the fulfillment of their needs. which could lead to the conclusion that her tragedy hinges on simply being an adult that is constantly infantilised. but i think it's a bit more complicated than that. in claudia's story childhood is not simply a cage to escape, its role is much more ambivalent. after her turning, claudia's world is still a place of magic and wonders. she has a colorful inner life, a joyously curious mind and a clear creative streak. she revels in the blood and the hunt and she is vicious only as a child can: there's no calculation to it, it just feels good! it's fun! she also has a measure of hope and faith in lestat and louis, and it's not perfect, but overall i think she feels protected and safe. killing charlie, seeing him burn, lestat's abuse, her sexual assault, all mark a violent end to this life in a way that irrevocably closes the door on it. she can never return to that girl that hides in her fantasies, she must face reality now. but the separation is not painless. a longing for it remains, in her search for the uncomplicated love of a new family and her desire to lose herself in plays and characters, to dream again for a little bit. however, a rejection is also there. that little girl was naive and knew nothing and bad things happened to her because of it. she must be strong and sharp now and never again be lulled in a sense of safety. what she is escaping here, is not the entire concept of childhood, but the powerlessness of it, which comes partly from the defenselessness of an innocent mind, and which her physical form and people's infantilisation keep pressing on her. claudia is not just a child wanting to be an adult or an adult treated like a child. her mind and body being at odds reflect the fact that she is somehow stuck between childhood and adulthood, subjected to the worst aspects of both according to the whims of others. what is tragic about her story does not relate to an unavoidable fracture in her psyche. it has everything to do with the very avoidable treatment she receives from people around her. and it is as much rooted in the fact that she was forcibly evicted from the ideal safety of her status as a child as in the fact she was forced to continously relive the lack of control in it. in other words, in the breaking of the illusion that children being brought to life and being subjected to parental power is always for their benefit.

the sister-daughter conundrum ultimately leads back to this. claudia's request to anoint her of her new role represents a desire to be at least spared of the hope of being treated like a daughter/child and move on by acknowledging the bitter truth that she is a sister/adult. however, the fact she needs to ask is very telling as is the fact she reverts to hope as soon as a new family is in sight. and i am sorry to always come back to her death by i find it difficult not to think about this circularly. her last glance at lestat also holds this contradiction to me. to say it's just condemnation or just yearning does not cut it. it must be both. it's a prayer already anticipating disappointment. it's a challenge to face her pain, belying the desire to have it recognised. it's a last request to be both loved as a child and respected as a woman. in my reading of her, i try to grant this request.

[liliumofthevalleyy]

Since I finally had the courage to start posting, I had to talk about this before anything.

Albert and William's relationship. (Hopefully Louis next 'cause he deserves so much more than what he gets in the manga)

This is really long so you may wanna scroll and move on👍, but if you are prepared to read through a probably hour-long ramble of these two then you're welcome and very much appreciated 🫶

⚠️Mentions of suicide/suicidal thoughts⚠️

Chapters 62-63 discusses it anyway so let's go by them:

Before William, Albert was sickened by the way society operates (the whole "upper class is yay and working class is ew" system). He tries to change things locally, since, as a child, his changes were small, helping out at the church, buying the kids at the orphanage books and donating money (in this case, asking his father?) for necessities.

He knows he, alone, can't change it and is actually satisifed with the fact that whatever he does would still make things better, even if a little.

His views about himself change when he comes across a man who stole bread. He pays for everything that man has stolen and gets him a job (at the church/orphanage), believing he had done the right thing. What does that man do? Try and steal the silver cutlery Albert brought for the church.

(Side note: I love the refrence to Les Miserables, a favourite french novel of mine, in which the mc Jean Val Jean steals bread but the kind Bishop of the town sees him and pays for everything Jean has stolen. The Bishop gives him a home, but Jean ends up repaying him by stealing the Bishop's treasured silver cutlery. Now that sounds familiar, huh. Jean is caught by the police and brought to the bishop to confirm whether or not Jean is lying about the bishop "giving him the cutlery". Instead of confirming that Jean was lying, the Bishop smiles and says yes he gave them to him, and proceeds to give him a pair of silver candle-stands saying "You left in such a hurry you forgot these". Concluding, Jean promises himself to live an honest, better life after meeting someone like the Bishop. (Jean becomes a symbol of equality between the nobles and the commoners, helping the poor and never patronizing it)

Albert hopes his actions are seen as that of the Bishop for someone. That someone would be so moved by Albert granting them a second chance, that the person would become better and try to better the world as well, and so he does that for the man. Though that backfires horribly, and the man kills someone/himself (it wasn't clear in the translations I read if he unalived himself or someone else).

This takes such a big toll on Albert mentally he decides he's the "wrong" one born into the wrong world, not the "right" one born into a wrong world. So he decides to unalive himself (reading that ch. for the first time hurt). But doesn't have the courage to, which makes him feel worst.

WILLIAM FINALLY COMES INTO THE PICTURE AND SAVES HIM IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE AND THE WAY THE WHOLE PANEL JUST GOES FROM DARK TO BRIGHT? ALBERT'S EYES ARE SO CLEAR UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS PANELS WHERE THEY ARE DARKENED.

William not only returns Albert's beliefs that the world itself is wrong, he affirms it, and the fact they haven't even spoken yet when this happened says alot about what's to come.

"He existed, here in the same world, someone with the same soul I had"

Excuse me while I sob about how much I love the characters' interactions and relationships in this series.

Anyways, Albert investigates him and finds out about the trial William won (that's a topic for another day for sure because that trial was lowkey funny to me). He realizes William is the one with the courage to change the world. And so he talks to him, and William's response further lightens up Albert.

WE'RE BACK ON WILLIAM BEING A SUN THING AGAIN, WILLIAM'S LIGHT NOT ONLY SHONE ON ALBERT. HIS BODY AND SOUL HAVE BEEN "BURNED" BY IT.

Ahem anyways, even though William had the "wisedom" and "courage" Albert desired, the "courage" wasn't enough to make that ideal a reality (at that time, Albert didn't actually believe William was serious about killing). He, Albert himself, also lacked that courage and wisedom.

That's why, he asks of William to give it to him, the courage, not just courage, but the courage necessary to kill and continue to do so until the ideal world is achieved. As well as the wisedom to achieve that ideal world through these killings. (since obviously killing without a thorough plan would just be pointless mass-murdering)

Now William leads the way for Albert by killing Albert's biological brother, og William, and I headcannon (since we don't see William's face while he kills for the first time) that William sucked it up and (maybe) showed Albert a relaxed/nonchalant face to make Albert feel better about doing what he wanted to do for sometime now but couldn't. With profound courage, Albert choked his mother to death.

Friendly reminder for the next few ones that William is canonically a "kind child".

Here Albert's interpetation of William as a child is a bit off (William later kindly refutes the whole "making no distinction between good and evil"). But it goes to show how Albert saw William, and seeing him in this kind of light heavies the guilt of what he asked of him.

I loved all the religious references in this chapter but the forbidden fruit Adam and Eve had is my favourite.

This panel ALONE says alot about just how important and precious William is to Albert. Albert also places more guilt on himself by saying that he ignored William's "screams" even when he knew. But the fact Albert knew in itself says alot because if there is one thing William never discloses about himself, it's what burdens and saddens him, so Albert and ONLY Albert knowing shows how much William trusts him. (again, William later states that Albert was actually the closest one to know of William's true grief AND comfort him).

Albert finaly realizes. The courage and wisedom he "borrowed" from William wasn't a one-time thing he used to take his first steps. All this time, he has been using it as a light leading his way and now that William is gone, he's lost again.

ALSO I MIGHT BE TAKING THIS TOO FAR (it's getting too much but I am an overthinker🤷‍♀️) BUT THE WHOLE LEFT CORNER PART OF THE PANEL BEING DARK AND THE "DOOR" SIDE BEING THE ONLY LIGHTED/WHITE SPOT. AND THE FACT THE ONE BEHIND THE DOOR IS WILLIAM. IT'S LIKE IT'S JUST YET ANOTHER INDICATION THAT WILLIAM IS ALBERT'S LIGHT.

Thank you lots for staying with me, it geuinely makes me happy knowing people, even if there are few, who share my enthusiasm are out there <3.

[saintarmand]

What did you think of Armand’s confrontation with Claudia? I’m not really sold on the idea that Armand displays startling cruelty in that moment — he’s definitely not nice, and it’s obviously a callback to how both Lestat and Louis have physically assaulted Claudia, and how she’s permanently trapped in this cycle of being at the mercy of powerful men who abuse or mistreat her. Like, he’s the coven master, Santiago has previously stated that Armand turns vampires into corpses for almost nothing, but ultimately, he’s the coven master, with the power of life and death over his flock, so his word is law. So when I think about Armand’s actions within “coven logic” it doesn’t really seem like individualized cruelty, more like justifiable annoyance (within coven logic) at the disobedience and insolence of a new, ungrateful coven member. Outside of coven logic, it’s abusive and cruel, but within the warped logic of the coven, it seems pretty ordinary to me. I guess I’m asking because I’ve seen lots of people post about the contrast between Armand’s vulnerability with Louis followed by his immediate cruelty to the coven, but I think it makes perfect sense. When Armand’s with Louis he’s being an individual, when he’s with the coven he’s being the coven master. Like, within Claudia’s story it’s definitely a continuance of the shitty, abusive cycle she’s stuck in, but within Armand’s role as the coven master it just seems like a regular Tuesday. Does that make sense?

yeah i'm not convinced he's singling her out specifically but i'm reserving judgment on that until the end of the season, since there's definitely stuff we're not privy to yet.

i think armand probably thinks he's been letting her (and everyone) get away with too much bc of louis and is now 'correcting' that. he was criticized by the coven throughout the episode for not being present enough and everyone doing shit they're not supposed to. so now he's going back to ruthless coven master mode to try to prevent the mutiny that's brewing.

i think it's also in response to the vulnerability he displayed to louis immediately prior; that shit was scary, and afterwards he probably wanted to feel powerful and in control again. he was also interrupted by the coven in that moment, them getting in the way of his time with louis, so he was pissed off at them all in general and the 'issue' that was reported was claudia so he lashed out at her.

i also don't think the play was written to torment her; i think the coven was just excited to have a 'child actress' and didn't consider how she might feel about it at all. they don't know what it's like for her and didn't think to wonder. the casual cruelty of thoughtlessness. we don't know the extent of armand's involvement with picking that role for her so it's difficult to say if he did it on purpose in any way. but his whole thing is doing whatever is 'required' of him regardless of how painful or humiliating, and that's what he expects from everyone else too. a horrible way to live and a horrible thing to subject others to, but that's armand for you.

insane how he actually acknowledged the cycle of abuse in this episode ("magnus who begat lestat, lestat begat louis, and on and on and on") and then immediately proceeded to go make sure it keeps on cycling. man got SO CLOSE to a major revelation but then it got interrupted i guess.

in TVL, lestat talks about the contrast between the 'lost child' and the 'coven master' in armand and they are two sides of him but they're also intrinsically linked. the vulnerability and the cruelty follow from each other. coven logic IS armand logic. it's all he knows. he's the victim and the perpetrator. he knows both sides intimately, and he believes this is just how it is, how it has to be, so suck it up. "life is cruel, life is violent." for him, it always has been. he skirts the rules sometimes because he can but he clearly also believes they should apply to him too. he almost killed louis for it. he keeps curfew. "know your role, thesp, or join your maker in oblivion", he says to santiago, but isn't he talking to himself too? he was ordered to lead the paris coven nearly 400 years ago and he hasn't been fulfilling his duties lately. he tells louis to think about leaving paris but leaving the coven himself is almost unthinkable to him. almost.

um, i got sidetracked, but basically yeah i think armand's assault of claudia, as cruel and horrifying and abusive and traumatizing it is for her, is him going back to regular tuesday as coven master. it's an emotionally motivated action but not, in my opinion, designed to single her out specifically as a rival for louis's affections or whatever. at least based on the information we have now, but there may be revelations to come in the latter half of the season that change my mind. or i might change my mind because i rewatch the episode for the fifth time or read really good post arguing the opposite lol.

anyway. SAVE CLAUDIA HOLY SHIT

[persephoneflouwers]

Hi doc, I'm desperately looking for ABO fic (Alpha Louis and Omega Harry ), I've been stuck with "Light, Spark and Fire" for months because it's so good, gimme a rec

I found just a few! You’ll see I have some favourite authors and I read all of their works haha anyway this is what I found for Alpha Louis x Omega Harry. Maybe this will need a part 2. Let me know if you want more.

ABO FIC

Say something (106K) by kingsofeverything ( @kingsofeverything ): At fifty years old and recently divorced, Omega Harry Styles isn't interested in dating. When his doctor suggests a heat and rut matching service, he signs up out of necessity. It’s the only use he has for an Alpha in his life. Twenty-eight-year-old Alpha Louis Tomlinson aims to change that.

Actions and consequences (95K) by HelenaAzure: Harry is a prince. Louis is a King. They are destined to be together. But things are much more complicated than it meets the eyes. Throw in a war, a life long secret born of deception, a quiet love, a treason of the highest sorts, a mysterious child of royal lineage and a considerate yet troublesome horse into the mix, and you get a legend which resonates through the pages of history

Face your fears (92K) by SadaVeniren ( @sadaveniren ): Harry is a single father, pretending to be a beta after his alpha mated him and left him. He’s getting by just fine raising the twins when Louis walks into his bakery. Too bad him and Louis will never be a thing.

Love in the dark (90K) by brightgolden ( @brightgolden ): Where Louis is an ambitious Advisor Council that is reluctant to find a mate, and his father takes the matter into his hand while Harry is the valedictorian in his kingdom destined for better things than an arranged marriage.

A distant hazy light (76K) by green_feelings: Life’s pretty ordinary for Harry. He lives with his best friend, got into university just like he’s planned, and manages to support himself just fine for an unbonded omega. If he sustains that lifestyle by getting paid to help alphas through their rut every now and then, that’s nothing to be hung up on. Until he’s hired by an alpha that turns everything upside down.

Si pudiera volar (70K) by softfonds: When Harry’s fiancé leaves him for his cousin, he looks the other way for the sake of his happiness. He’ll do anything to forget about him, including joining a monastery. It isn’t until his cousin’s former lover, a pirate, appears that he realizes everything is not as it appears, and an honest pirate might be the only person worthy of his heart.

Everything to lose (70K) by stylinsoncity: harry is a global popstar who's convinced the world he has it all -- a happy marriage to a devoted alpha, two beautiful children, two grammy awards, three platinum albums, and a budding film career. But some aspects of his image aren't as true as they seem. Like the fact he's been separated for over a year, uses meaningless flings to cope and occasionally forgets responsibilities or commitments to his family. He and louis once commanded stages together. They tackled any challenges to their future and no matter how hard things got, they always returned to one another. harry would always return to louis. until one day, he finds he can't.

Wolf boy (like no one else) 70K by cristalrush: the one where Harry leaves his old pack in hopes to find his soulmate. And that’s when he meets Louis, an alpha who doesn’t believe in soulmates.

I like the way you say my name (when you soak it in grace) 66K by louisismycat (tifamomet): Louis is transferred to a new city to temporarily cover for his counterpart while he is on maternity leave for the next six months. His new co-workers talk endlessly about Harry, the omega who he’s covering for. And Louis finds himself jealous of whatever alpha as snatched him up. Until he learns Harry is actually an unmated omega three months out from becoming a single parent.

Glitters in the sky, glitters in our eyes (59K) by softfonds: What happens when a Duke who will only marry for love and a courtesan who only sells it create a public ruse? Well, nothing boring for sure. An Edwardian AU.

Here’s your perfect (54K) by brightgolden: In the world where mates are assigned to everyone and deposited to their door when an agreeable partner is found for them, Alpha Louis has recently been given his. However, he is nothing like the type of alpha that the omega academy prepares Harry for.

The money mark (52K) by brightgolden: Where Louis is Harry’s first sugar daddy who dumped him over text and their paths cross, seven years later.

Eucalyptus (46K) by docklands: Harry didn't mean to get pregnant at all. When little Agnes comes along, his bachelor life takes a turn and he has to figure out how to single parent, with the occasional help from his best friend and co-worker, Zayn. Everything is running smoothly until Agnes starts acting strange, crying non-stop, sleeping at the most unconventional hours and not caring that she's ruining Harry's life. Agnes' new paediatrician, Louis Tomlinson, is enthusiastic, passionate about his job and a little too charming for Harry's lonely heart to take. More than figuring out what's wrong with her, Louis ends up revealing secrets about Harry's life he had never even dreamed about.

I sail with you (36K) by AFangirlFantasy: a classic!! Against his wishes, Omega Prince Harry Styles is arranged to mate with someone he doesn’t love, much less knows. Though he pleaded to his parents incessantly, they not only refuse to comply but force him to depart on a ship days later. Harry prays for fate to step in, to change what’s to come, however, the answer he is given is not exactly in the form he had hoped. Enter Will Tommo – deadliest pirate captain of all seven seas.

Chemistry is like candy to me (35K) by CuckooTrooke ( @larrydoinglaundry ): Harry is 8 months pregnant with a poor balance and traitorous nipples. Unfortunately for him, that is precisely when he meets a beautiful alpha in a packed London Tube. Fortunately for him, the said alpha might just be the best thing he has ever come across.

Rooms on fire (34K) by softfonds: Ten years ago, Louis helping Harry through a heat was the start of a romance that ended in heartbreak. Now, Harry's marriage is over thanks to his husband's very public infidelity, and Louis is fresh off a Golden Globe win. The last thing they both expect is to be cast in the same movie.

Leave your mark on me (32K) by kingsofeverything: When Chef Harry Styles’ unbonded Omega designation threatens to derail his career, he does the only thing he can, and goes in search of a black market bond.

English rose (32K) by harryanthus_annuus: Louis works on the 19th floor. It’s such a cliché to fall for the elevator girl, but no one resist Harry Styles

Want it flowing through my streams (30K) by screwstyles: Wimbledon ABO AU: Harry has just qualified for his first Grand Slam, and he’s prepared to make the most of it – that is, until his heat unexpectedly hits him only a few days before his first match. And it’s just his luck that Louis Tomlinson, the resident bad boy of British tennis, is the only person around to help him.

Tread lightly on my ground (20K) by fairytalelights: the one where Harry is having Louis' baby, but Louis doesn't know it's his.

Breathe me in, breathe me out (14K) by lunaheslwt: Louis is drawn into a quaint candle shop in his desire to find ways to soothe himself while struggling with touch depri. It takes him two more run-ins and with the lovely alpha sales assistant, and a drop, to figure out the source of the scent that imprints upon him and calms his omega. Idiots to lovers

It’s been ages (13K) by 2tiedships2 ( @2tiedships2 ): lots of pining. Lots of fluff

Come in and change my life (12K) by lightswoodmagic(sarah_writes): Harry and Louis become friends when Harry looks after Louis' cat during away games, until one night at a party changes everything between them. It's just a shame Louis' going to be away for the FIFA World Cup for three months.

I love this feeling (but I hate this part) 7K by lululawrence ( @lululawrence ): roommates, friends to lovers, usage of alpha voice for experimentation purposes lol it’s cute and fun

Lost in your paradise (6K) by SadaVeniren: Harry and Louis have a one night stand.

Scent partner (4K) by amomentoflove: The name of the company was horrible: Scent Partner. Whoever was on the marketing team should be fired immediately for green-lighting that name. But the instructions were simple. Alphas wear a shirt for three days and nights. The shirt gets sent to omegas nearing their heats to pick the alpha who smells the best to them. The company notifies the alpha and gives them the opportunity to say no. If both parties agree, they meet at a heat room for the omega’s heat. Everything is safe and consensual.

Baby, don’t apologize (2K) by Neondiamond: Harry being an asexual Omega means his Alpha Louis has had to spend his ruts alone for the past decade despite being mated. He’s not sure who feels most hurt by it.