#lestat gets humbled

[moondustinfj]

Daniel Molloy posted:

Louis de Pointe du Lac tagged Lestat de Lioncourt

Armand liked this post

Lestat de Lioncourt replied: I went to the kitchen to get my yoghurt and within 2 minutes, you all ganged up aganist me!! I see how it is! So i should just fuck off and make all of your wishes come true!!

Daniel Molloy, Louis de Pointe du Lac, Armand and Marius de Romanus liked this post

Armand tagged Lestat de Lioncourt:

Lestat de Lioncourt blocked Armand

Daniel Molloy replied:

Louis de Pointe du Lac tagged Lestat de Lioncourt: Come on mon cher it was just a joke, no need to make this ugly. I was the one to tag you in the first place

Lestat de Lioncourt replied: You aren't the one making this ugly beautiful one. Those two idiots are

Daniel Molloy tagged Lestat de Lioncourt: simp.

Lestat de Lioncourt blocked Daniel Molloy

Lestat de Lioncourt unblocked Armand

Armand tagged Louis de Pointe du Lac: Thank you for taking my side Louis xoxo 💞💞

Lestat de Lioncourt blocked Armand

Louis de Pointe du Lac replied:

Marius de Romanus tagged Lestat de Lioncourt:

🖕🖕

(this is Daniel btw)

[soliloqueeer]

When I first watched this episode, I was very confused about Lestat's motivations for being at the trial. During Claudia's execution, I kept thinking, why isn't he moving? Just do something. Help her.

I understand now that Lestat, at this point, is much weaker than usual for reasons that haven't yet been fully explored. From interviews with Sam Reid, I also learned that there was no way Lestat would miss this trial. However, Lestat isn't a planner—he arrived, memorized his lines, yet was utterly unprepared for what was about to unfold. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was going to save Louis. That was his sole plan.

When Claudia says, "It's never been about me," you can see the guilt and shame in Lestat's eyes. Yet, when she announces her plan to kill everyone in the crowd after her death, he's staring at her with pride.

I believe Lestat did a lot of reflecting while in his coffin, pondering how he ended up in this situation and what led his fledglings to turn against him. I think he was actually proud of Claudia for successfully orchestrating his murder. She outsmarted him, and he had entirely underestimated her. This final act of violence made them equals in his eyes.

However, I don't think Lestat ever truly saw himself as a 'father.' He had no example of good parenting in his human life and this had no idea how to treat a child. From the beginning, he was referred to as Uncle Les while Louis took on the paternal role. Then, when Claudia became an adult, Lestat was forced to regard her as a sister.

The idea that someone could look to him as a father wasn't even conceivable to Lestat. In Claudia's final moments, when she looks to him like a child looks to a parent for help, it is horrifying on so many levels. It shocks him to his core when he realizes that he is her father and that he's letting her die right before his eyes. And even worse, Claudia was right—it was never about her.

[taro-tk22]

So if Lestat has an iPad and on that iPad he clearly has Spotify open so that clearly means he either has data or wifi that works in that raggedy old house he’s decided to live in lmfaoo 😭

[lgbtiwtv]

lestat waking up from his trash nap and sensing something is amiss

[cuntylestat]

the funny thing about armand and lestat in the books is that lestat does love and desire armand but he keeps getting turned off by armand being just a little too crazy for him. which must be very humbling coming from lestat of all people

[samstatsupremacy]

My notes from the 92NY Q&A

Someone from Mayfair Witches is in IWTV S2 and Mayfair S2

Ben Daniels sent a thank-you letter to Rollin Jones re: working with such a beautiful cast and lovely project (and called himself Santi-baby in it). Jacob did his best Ben impression and read the email aloud to us.

The two actors Rolin KNEW they wanted from the beginning were Eric and Ben Daniels, before they even started casting

Jacob refused to pit Loumand and Loustat against each other. Said they have different vibes

Sam insists that we won't see "the real Lestat" until S3. We're only seeing everyone else's perception of him (very tongue-in-cheek). In response, Assad said, "Armand has a very good memory. Maybe the most accurate!"

Jacob said filming the Dreamstat scenes with Sam was like slipping on a glove, or an old sock (cue slightly inappropriate giggles from audience)

Delainey said her chemistry read with Jacob felt like everyone else in the room just faded away, and she bonded with him first on set

Lestat plays Harlequin instead of Lelio this season, and the moderator was so affected by Sam's performance that he said "I got pregnant after watching it." Rollin said it was "moves like Jagger" on that theater stage lol. Sam had trouble reconciling this part but he did have fun

Any time Jacob gets complimented, he tries to brush it off. He's so humble!

Delainey said Claudia knows Louis better than he knows himself, and Jacob* thinks he knows her but he doesn't

Eric said that Daniel's impression of Dubai situation is he's just sick of the lies and games from Loumand. He won't be intimidated, and if you push, he pushes back harder. He will not be bullied (much like himself, he added)

Lots of hype for ep5 of this season. Eric said it was the most traumatizing episode he's seen in his life. Everyone else agrees that it gets pretty heavy re: young Daniel's interview

Eric said "working with Jacob is like flying" and Jacob said "the feeling is entirely mutual" - so sweet!

Assad was so preciously nervous bc he admittedly still gets intimidated by the cast. He was struggling to finish his thoughts. He did praise how open and loving the whole cast and crew are. It was cute.

"When Louis meets Armand, Armand is kind of lost but putting on this facade of power that Louis sees through" (Assad's words)

Question: any fun moments off set that still make you laugh? Response: Sam and Jacob look at each other and just burst into laughter. They really struggled to find an answer that they felt was appropriate to share and barely answered it 😅

Q: What series would your character binge?

Everyone answered as their character:

Armand: Buffy

Daniel: Breaking Bad

Claudia: The OA

Lestat: The Real Housewives

Louis: The Real Housewives ("YOU LITERALLY TOOK MY ANSWER" to Sam)

This doesn't even cover the encounters I saw at the stage door. I'll do a separate post for that, maybe

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Yellow Hill

CS Humble: Submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the massacre at yellow hill Humble: it's about a black vampire hunter Barker: is it Blade? Humble: no Humble: not every black vampire hunter is blade for your information

Humble: this black vampire hunter and his adopted son are riding across the lonesome prairies of texas in search of vampires Robert E Howard: don't mess with texas! Humble: but also having philosophical discussions about the problem of evil Howard: [louder] Don't mess with texas!

Howard: hold on thar pardna are ya sayin' there's vampires in MY texas? Humble: right Howard: i ain't gonna stand for that! Howard: any 2 bit varmit tries to suck mah blood is gettin' a taste of my pea shooter! Howard: DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!

Humble: this black vampire hunter finds he has to contend not just with the undead but also with the evil in men's hearts Humble: because the real vampire was racism the whole time! Howard: DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS! Humble: alright alright we get it we won't mess with texas

Humble: it turns out they're not dealing with just any old vampire Humble: not just some mundane nosferatu or some work-a-day dracula Humble: or even a boring old Lestat Humble: no he's dealing with some top shelf blood suckers Humble: they got an evil book and everything

Humble: and these vampires are gonna bring about the apocalypse and the arrival of their evil vampire god Humble: who's so big like you can't even see him Humble: except for his giant crab claw Guy N Smith: i knew it! Smith: i knew he'd be back!!

Humble: so this black vampire hunter is hunting vampires Lovecraft: oh jeez this story is too scary! Howard: don't worry pardna, ain't no vampires that can stand up to my pea shooter! Lovecraft: the vampires aren't the scary part

Humble: but in this texas town, where vampires run wild, there's a family, a widow and her kids Humble: and kids you know they just can't get enough of that old timey candy! Humble: salt water taffy Humble: bit o' honey Humble: ribbon candy Humble: aspic

Humble: licorice dandies Humble: sugared marrow Humble: cornmush bricks Humble: rootmush bricks Humble: saracen's delight Humble: horehound jerky Humble: and mary janes King: oh gross mary janes Howard: DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!

[nalyra-dreaming]

Some comments on episode 3 / episode 10 - SPOILERS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Daniel not wanting to eat the living fish…. yeah I can empathize

Raglan James - Is that a real name???? (LOL)

Love the banter

Daniel doubting how many Rashid’s there are… indeed

I like that they’re echoing Louis being away in last season this one as well

The underlying threat of Armand being able to kill them all if he so chose

That audio visualization will become important still I bet

How do you hide from the cloud indeed

Louis being asleep during the day?! Why this time? He was awake during the day before?

“Lestat’s prophetic vision”

Yes, be snarky Daniel :)

Flashback!!!!

Ugh incineration by fire gift

Oh Armand watching Lestat as harlequin - he has it baaaaad

Armand hinting that Lestat has powers he has not touched, and them talking to each other in their minds….

Viens a moi! Come to me!!! There it is! Armand said it to Lestat, yes baby!

And Armand admitting to stalking and then kidnapping.

And I love that they’re doing it all in French - I cannot quite judge but hope it’s well done

mhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh YES I CANNOT LIE I APPRECIATE IT AND I LOVE IT

the time freezing was so well done

Gosh Nicki. Gosh that feeding

to summarize: Liar, liar, pants on fire (LOL), but I love it. Ah yes, great fanfic, I like

Great now I will imagine Lestat and Armand beeeeeeeep in that box for ETERNITY lol

And Daniel… not buying it lol

“He abandoned xyz”… ohhhh there we have it. There we have it (not). The crux of the whole matter.

Louis knows what’s up. Deep down he knows. But them matching the stories is almost cute.

Claudia humbling herself like this to be part of it all breaks my heart

The sneezing made me cry with laughter

Ahhhh the wet room. And the rats. And the tombs. The tombs. Ohhhhh they’re so gonna lock Louis up there later. Oh boy.

“That’s a bit german” re the incinerator !!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Holy shit?!)

God Lestat interrupting that moment. And Armand sensing “Bruce”. Daaaamn.

Daniel getting distracted but the Talamasca. Who have access to his computer. (!!!)

“Where is Claudia at this point” 😔 (and no answer)

Santiago’s maker being down in the tombs is IMMENSELY interesting. WHO THE FUCK IS HE

Also him telling Claudia that her lies are almost convincing….

The “come to me” scene. Even better in total. Oh Louis. Armand calling him out on it.

And the philosophical discussion there. The admission despite the warning. Something Louis ALMOST remembers…

“that’s debatable” - “she did”. Oh MAN LOUIS

“I told you I loved you” - “And you said nothing.” Holy hell.

THAT KISS. the music.

It’s RAW.

God they’re on another level

AND THE PHOTO: Lestat being there… and then vanishing!!!!

Louis knows. He knows. Also that little story Claudia makes up there… oof.

The Bacon triptych - that is so weird. WHO wants to buy it. I BET that’s important.

And Daniel using the time to go through the material and find the proof of the theater burning.

The coven pressuring Armand. I LOVED that. The trepidation. Ugh.

And them throwing Louis out when she is initiated. Does he know of the five laws??????

And Claudia’s expression at the laws. Oh maaaannnnnn.

And I KNEW it!! Armand is playing with the fire there “threatening” Louis. I mean, he ultimately doesn’t, but he ALMOST does. The discussion in the sewers. The foreshadowing once more. Louis calling on what Armand promised, and Armand throwing the lies into his face. DAMN.

And Armand stating that Claudia won’t be there for long.

God I knew the coven would go and humiliate Claudia with that role. I knew it. Damn. Her face.

“The Savage Garden”. The roaring of the fire behind Louis. More foreshadowing.

“Did he break you? Or did you break him?” 😭😭

A century ago. Yesterday. So much pain.

That kiss. And Louis inviting Armand in on the premise that he won’t kill him!!!!!!!!!! Holy shit.

NO PAIN.

AAAAALLLLLLL THE PAIN.

Argh, loved it, maybe a favorite so far. There is so much going on. So much foreshadowing. So much knowledge suppressed, or endured. So much bitter realization. So many things hinted at and introduced.

Also, as clear as it is (and was said in the episode insider) that this is Armand’s little fanfic version… (as Assad how much of it is used to "paint Armand in a good light"?!) :))) . It was a LOT of fun. :)

And that banquet scene will be in the next episode already!! Whoop whoop, cannot wait!

[tomasz-the-hater]

it must have been said already by someone more eloquent than me, but i find it fascinating how lestat and armand mirror each other in terms of power dynamics and gender roles.

we have lestat. 'how can i say no to you' lestat. the stark father and maker to claudia and somehow later louis, the one that the new orleans tour guide mentions as the master of the house, the one that will not have claudia leave. his violence is loud and physical and outward, his sadism is somewhat acknowledged by him yet keeps happening. he almost kills louis when they fight by his, lestat's, own actions. he regrets it, sure, louis responds to his attacks often, sure. the violence between them is open.

not bothering to clean, only insisting that louis does eat. up to a certain point he even finances louis' wishes and whims. he is promiscuous, he gets lover(s), he is often (though not always) the first to make his desires known (considerable considerables etc etc).

despite the attributes that are considered unmanly (flair for dramatics, inclination to theatre and arts, queerness), he remains the more traditionally masculine figure in the relationship. he is the patriarch of the family, or at least he presents himself in that way in louis' memories.

(it, of course, does not mean that louis falls into the traditionally feminine role. the dichotomy of traditional heterosexual/heteronormative marriage is not fully applicable to even straight relationships because it is primarily a cultural ideal.)

we have armand. 'are you asking, maitre' armand. famously a victim, agentless by his own belief and volition. saying louis can leave in san francisco, yet staying in power by a) mind control (yay!), b) lies, manipulation, witholding information and c) care. he is also violent. he orchestrates louis (and claudia's, and madeleine's) death, yet is discrete about it to the very end; he saves and cares for louis after his suicide attempt, yet all of it is hidden behind mind control for five decades after.

picking lint off the sofa, cleaning up after louis (or claiming to do so) gives armand control over what is seen and what is not, what is kept and what goes. a humble servant rashid. it also gives him a great guilt tripping point: whatever louis does, armand just has to clean up after him, and isn't louis grateful for that? while not stated directly (i think), louis investments in art and real estate are the main source of money for loumand. lastly, an ex-prostitute, armand the one to lay face down while being fucked and seems to have no outside lovers (or louis just has more, ie 128).

not completely feminine, as aren't his gremlin nature and the ultimate violence and power that he keeps over louis both in the '70s and 2022 stay; yet armand still seems pretty much submissive, or wants to be that himself and for louis to be dominant (servant-master, arun-maitre), all the while keeping some control from the shadows. he is the quiet daniel's been longing for, the vacuming valium wife.

the first was louis' husband unforgettable through 77 years of marriage. the second was the proclaimed love of his life and a partnership to spite the first that may have grown into love but not enough to forget lestat. active violent power and shadowy mind control. a kind of husband and a kind of wife to louis, both defining him in and out of partnership

[toriangeli]

Not everyone believes Armand was really going to leave Louis in 1973. I do.

Louis is an addict--an addict who won't help himself. And people discount the position that puts Armand in.

Louis routinely gives someone drugs, fucks them, and drains them to get high. Armand comes in after, with Louis on whatever drugs he gave his guest, and cleans up so no one catches them. Louis apologizes at some point, but keeps doing it. Over and over. While Armand does the grunt work of erasing the consequences of his actions.

Reread that last sentence. Remember what that's called?

Yeah. Enabling.

But what happens if Armand doesn't enable Louis? In Armand's view, they get caught, vampires are outed to the world, there's a war or something.

Rock, hard place, and Armand in-between.

So Armand, as always, like his maker before him, accepts a thankless job he doesn't want for a greater good no one else seems to serve. Days in, pains shooting up the neck and down the forehead and behind the eyes, days out, you feel like you've been drop-kicked between the shoulder blades as the stress takes a very real physical toll. He dumps the bodies and carries Louis home, bearing the insults, telling himself it's just the drugs talking. Louis says he's sorry after he sobers up, only to turn around and do it again.

And as soon as Armand starts to cave and throw the insults back, Louis hurts himself worse than he's ever been hurt since he was with Lestat. As a direct consequence of Armand finally losing his temper over the entire shitty situation. Armand isn't even allowed to show his anger to the only person in his life. He just has to swallow it all.

But Louis is hurt now. That means more work than ever, 24/7 round-the-clock caretaking, along with finding the time to hunt to replenish the blood Louis is taking from him. Because even Armand's powerful blood can't heal Louis very quickly (given it took Marius about a century to recover from being set on fire even when he was drinking directly from Akasha herself). It apparently helps with the pain, though, so at least he can settle down for a bit. Get some sleep while Armand hunts.

But when Louis wakes up for the first time, who does he ask after?

The boy.

The fascinating boy.

And there's finally someone Armand can take his anger out on. Someone he doesn't love. And since when does Armand get angry at the person who actually did the wrong? He's the patron saint of misplaced anger.

We see him hesitate to take care of Louis when he's called for. Louis is crying out in pain--pain he caused himself. A consequence of his own actions. Armand seems torn between a desire to stop enabling, and compassion for someone he loves.

It finally seems to hit Armand that this is his existence for the foreseeable future.

"Am I going to be on suicide watch for the next thousand years?"

No, I don't think he intended to stay. I think he looks both hopeful and crushed when Louis extends just enough of an olive branch to make Armand want to keep trying to make it work. But making it work means working. It means accepting he'll never be as important as the last person who hurt Louis this badly.

But drifting away aimlessly means being alone, and unneeded. Surely being needed is better than nothing, even if he can't be loved.

Even if it means he lives in a world where even a sober, humbled Louis is more concerned about the wellbeing of a virtual stranger than that of Armand.

[nocontextlestat]

happy one year anniversary of lestat getting humbled

✨ rest in piss ✨

[best-iwtv-scene]

Best IWTV Scene Poll Tournament Breakdown:

Submissions are in! All submissions have been collected, along with scenes I have added myself and I have here the final list of scenes appearing in the tournament. There are 64 total scenes, broken down into 4 different groups for the first round. Really looking forward to getting this started!

Round 1A

Louis’ turning (1x01) vs. Loumand meeting (2x02)

Lestat's backstory monologue (1x06) vs. "You asked me to do it" (2x06)

"Picked another one over me" argument (2x04) vs. Alice interrogation (2x02)

Recovery/Apologies montage (1x06) vs. Louis chasing down the coven (2x08)

Introduction to the theatre (2x02) vs. Madeleine fits Claudia's yellow dress (2x04)

"I stayed a journalist" (2x05) vs. Claudia’s first kill (1x04)

Introducing Louis to vampirism (1x02) vs. Armand's backstory monologue (2x04)

"Hey sis, you don't need me" (1x06) vs. Police come to the Rue Royale (1x05)

Round 1B

The five great laws (2x03) vs. Killing Lestat (1x07)

First Dreamstat appearance (2x01) vs. Happy trio montage (1x04)

Daniel vampire reveal (2x08) vs. Claudia end of episode monologue (1x04)

Armand betrayal reveal (2x08) vs. "Rest" (2x05)

Pre-abduction drinks (2x06) vs. "Can I cry and say that I’m sorry, too" (2x07)

Claudia killing in front of Madeleine (2x06) vs. Insecure open relationship negotiation (1x03)

Louis saves Claudia from the fire (1x03) vs. "You and Me, Me and You" (2x01)

Dreamstat Letter scene (2x02) vs. Claudia’s turning revisited (2x07)

Round 1C

Armand grills Madeleine (2x06) vs. Loustat dance (1x07)

Loustat fight revisited (2x07) vs. Threesome scene (1x01)

Louis kills white businessman (1x02) vs. Tower scene (2x08)

But the suit changes nothing monologue (2x08) vs. Louis swims the Mississippi to Lestat (1x06)

Charlie (1x04) vs. Claudeleine execution (2x07)

Did you eat the baby (1x02) vs. Louis’ mother’s funeral (1x04)

Louis drinks from “Rashid” (1x05) vs. Walking by the Seine (2x03)

Claudia/Lestat chess scene (1x07) vs. Lestat drags Louis into the sky (1x05)

Round 1D

Lestat humbles homophobic soldier (2x07) vs. Meeting Daciana (2x01)

Armandstat flashback (2x03) vs. "I heard your hearts dancing" argument (1x03)

Grace’s wedding (1x01) vs. "Kill me again" hallucination (2x03)

Loustat reunion (2x08) vs. "You sure about that, Arun?" (2x04)

Loumand argument (2x05) vs. I don’t like windows (2x03)

"Who are you Louis?" (2x02) vs. Louis kills the alderman (1x03)

Grace buries Louis (1x05) vs. Louis questions Claudia and Madeleine's relationship (2x06)

Madeleine's turning (2x06) vs. Loustat mardi gras balcony scene (1x07)

[oldbutchdaniel]

at the point that daniel and lestat actually bang it out, i want daniel to find out why people love sleeping with lestat but he down plays it so hard. he's like 🤷 it was okay nothing i haven't tried before and lestat cries to louis about it (which then turns to louis and daniel giggling about humbling him and armand hears about it and it gets worse)

it was earth shaking. daniel hasn't come that way in a while but the earth will be nothing in comparison to lestats head if he gives him an honest review. he says its mid and lestat is sitting there with his arms crossed, fuming about it all night. probably going to put armand in his own blender as punishment or something.

no literally this is the best case scenario for louis because lestat is so freaked out daniel seemingly is not dickmatized by him that he insists on having crazy marathon sex with louis to rebuild his own ego. louis is like rubbing his back consoling him like "yeah baby i can't believe he didn't like it. he doesn't understand you like i do. why don't you show me how you did it one more time and maybe i can give you some pointers?"

this also offers an INSANE boost to the lesmand dynamic because daniel IS dickmatized by armand so lestat is like. why does the sexy old man want to fuck the gremlin? what does he have that i don't? should i give it another try? another miserable day in the dynamics of the vampire polycule 🩷

[mameeta]

I was reading a human AU fanfic and the (young) David mentioned going bowling to Armand. Immediately, because that's just how it is, Lestat came to mind. I had the biggest laugh because, Human AU or not, he would either be humbled by the lanes or rule them as a god.

But seriously, as a vampire he would have to get over the sensory overload (loud noise and human stink) and controlling the ball so that he does destroy the ball and building. Can you imagine this man customizing bowling balls? Designing the proper attire and shoes. It would be a glorious mess. Eventually he would build his own, I guess lol. Someone draw that lol.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hey nalyra!

I was hoping you could sort of help put some thoughts in order.

So, what I keep seeing often is the discourse of lestat deserving the murder night vs lestat did not deserve it and that's why paris happens.

On one hand I agree murder night "needed" to happen bc the household had turned too toxic for all of them and something had to give ( and lestat did not seem about to relent on anything tbh ).

And then we have lestat himself saying he would have done the same thing and in a way its his fault things ended up the way they did. ( and we have sam saying lestat needs to be humbled to start a character journey in the next seasons)

On the other hand, there is the argument that paris happened because lestat did not deserve what happened in murder night and murder night was a mistake that claudia and louis paid for with the trial.

I find it hard to agree with the latter (it sounds too punitive and I don't think the trial had anything to do with actual rules it was all armand getting back at lestat and getting louis to himself) but as a lestat fan it was hard to watch murder night and say lestat deserved it as well!!

What are your thoughts on this whole mess? 🤔 😅

Okay, so... I personally think it is not that clear cut.

Because there are a lot of things involved in all of this.

For one - I keep saying - the abuse itself is in the book, so Louis did experience it as abuse, at least at times.

Now, Jacob has said that Louis "presents Lestat as a monster", because he is hurt by what happened. So Louis exaggerates (at the very least a little bit) - for reasons.

However, a tale is also always built on truth.

The Lestat in the book was very young still, and had a temper (well, he does not lose that, lol). Louis remarks on not saying something because he feared Lestat would destroy the parlor in a rage. They fight. And so on. Canon. The Lestat in the show is older, and jaded through loneliness - I personally think that is a great way to introduce the more bitter parts of the relationship, because it lends towards possessiveness and a certain remoteness, because he just sees it very, very differently to Louis, and sometimes cannot really empathize with Louis' actual problems. (Sam notes on that in the podcast, too.)

Now. When Lestat says in TVL that Claudia attacking him was "something he might have done himself"... then that refers to him trapping her in a too small, too fragile, too weak body - for eternity.

He knows he should not have made her. He is aware of that. That is what he refers to there:

From TVL:

But what had I done to Claudia? And when would I have to pay for that? How long was she content to be the mystery that bound Louis and me so tightly together, the muse of our moonlit hours, the one object of devotion common to us both? Was it inevitable that she who would never have a woman's form would strike out at the demon father who condemned her to the body of a little china doll? [...] And on a warm sultry night in the spring of the year 1860, she rose up to settle the score. She enticed me, she trapped me, and she plunged a knife over and over again into my drugged and poisoned body, until almost every drop of the vampiric blood gushed out of me before my wounds had the precious few seconds in which to heal. I don't blame her. It was the sort of thing I might have done myself. And those delirious moments will never be forgotten by me, never consigned to some unexplored compartment of the mind. It was her cunning and her will that laid me low as surely as the blade that slashed my throat and divided my heart. I will think on those moments every night for as long as I go on, and of the chasm that opened under me, the plunge into mortal death that was nearly mine. Claudia gave me that.

From Merrick:

Cover her face; mine eyes dazzle; she died young. I winced at the recollection. Lestat had been condemning himself when he'd spoken those words to her, he'd been offering himself up to her rage. She'd known it.

And here is the crux of it all: "murder night" does need to happen in the grand scheme of things in order to bring both Louis and Lestat onto their journey... they both need to get a reality check, both need to be hauled low so to speak to be able to ultimately heal and the justification is what was done to Claudia (not Louis). And to find peace with themselves.

However, and here is the "problem", if you will - this crime against nature, against Claudia was not only done by Lestat. And that is what her diary entry from "Merrick" is about, and what I believe we already saw hints for in the trial scene when she turns to Louis... Claudia blamed both. "It was never about me." And we saw that already in the show when Claudia argues with Louis before leaving in episode 5, too.

She decided to go and try to kill Lestat, because she thought she could handle Louis more easily.

From Merrick:

To do away with Louis would be foolish, as he is without question the more malleable of the pair. [...] Louis will do as I wish, even unto the very destruction of Lestat, which I plan in every detail. Whereas Lestat would never cooperate with my designs upon Louis. So there my loyalty lies, under the guise of love even in my own heart.

Now, don't get me wrong, I concur with Bailey and Delainey in that Claudia is very justified in her rage, imho :) And... both Lestat and Louis feel the same way, they carry the guilt of what they did to her until the very end.

Now, Paris.

Paris... did happen because Louis and (mostly) Claudia factoring things in) did make a mistake.

They thought (mostly Claudia, and the show hints at that in that episode 6 sex scene when she says to Louis that they "cannot be all like him") that Lestat was the worst.

Like the big bad vampire™, the worst of the worst™, and him (certainly) making mistakes or having a temper or even physically fighting with Louis was the absolute worst that could possibly happen to them.

And that... is the (big, fatal) mistake that is being made.

The show gave us Lestat already brushing Paris off, so I believe show Louis will be a bit more... careful when they get there. A bit more reluctant. Nonetheless, neither Claudia nor Louis are prepared for the old world covens. Or their rules.

Lestat kept them mostly human, a family, because Marius had advised him to do so.

Claudia and Louis, despite their run-ins with the revenants, have no concept of the rules, the viciousness, nor the strength to defend themselves.

They kill off their only protection (so to speak) - and will pay for it.

I believe in one of the interviews it was called "out of the frying pan and into the fire", and that is, unfortunately, very fitting.

That is why "murder night" was a mistake... in Claudia's calculation.

Louis will come to the realization that he "hated Lestat for the wrong reasons" in the second half of IWTV. He will come to a lot of realizations, painful realizations, unfortunately.

Ultimately, it boils down to this, I think (very simplified):

No, Lestat (probably) did not deserve "murder night" for what Louis tries to argue for in s1. Because those reasons will turn out to be the wrong reasons, unfortunately, and likely for a variety of reasons (cue "tinkering" and "suppressed memories")

Yes, Lestat (probably) deserved "murder night" for not heeding Marius' warning. For not trying hard enough, too, maybe. For condemning someone that young. For trapping Claudia (and, by extension Louis) like that.

"I should have listened to Marius's warning. I should have stopped for one moment to reflect on it as I stood on the edge of that grand and intoxicating experiment: to make a vampire of "the least of these. " I should have taken a deep breath."

But he did not.

And the tragedy unfolds.

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep2 Musings - KING LDPDL 🤴🏾

WTF was going on with Louis this episode!? My guy was frikkin FERAL! Jacob! The ACTEURE that you are~! 🤌 Sir Anderson! Eff an Emmy--he's British, someone KNIGHT this man already! 👑

Louis was deflecting AND flexing on Daniel, I could not WITHSTAND the charisma uniqueness nerve and talent!

Daniel was LITERALLY shaking in his boots--call in Dr Fareed again; whatever "medication" y'all gave him is wearing off.

Armand, are you gonna give Daniel a CHOICE my guy?

The LOUMAND of it all--they were SERVIIIIIIING~~~~

These two banter like an old married couple, it's SO GOOD! ^0^

And it's SO EFFING FAKE! XD

Jacob/Louis has unleashed yet ANOTHER persona(lity): this heinous bougie AF trophy wife wench whom I absolutely LOOOOOOOVE. 😭

The pretentious snobbery of it all. <3

Armand and Lestat should be fed to a BLENDER! Stop ragging on my sweet baby Louis for not wanting to lay around killing/sexing all night! Then y'all get mad at him when he sits around the house all depressed, not wanting to go out and do anything but read books!

But Armand confronting Louis was so adorable--thinking they were either insulting the coven, or toying with them/playing hard-to-get.

And Louis talking about how much Armand looked like a BOY playing dressup (just like Claudia)--he's so condescending sometimes, this 33-y/o who had to grow up too soon; vs. an ancient vampire who'll forever look too young. U_U

Oh how the tables have turned; but history still repeats itself!

It's so wild how with Loustat, Les was the one pretending to be a regular human, in his awkward frumpy clothes; while Lou was struggling to hold on to his high class status during their bidding war over Miss Lily ("admiration and emasculation"). But with Loumand, Louis' the one tryna pass as a regular human in his layman clothes, while Armand "masquerades" as Gentleman Death.

Both times, Lou has to contend with the power imbalances of two overpowered vampires outclassing him over & over again. But while Lou was hostile & offended by Les; he's scared & meek with Armand.

He's been humbled & broken down so much, and he knows firsthand what older/ancient vampires are capable of--

--esp. since Armand confronted Louis intending to threaten him (b4 he realized how pretty Lou was and changed his mind, LOL).

But I do wonder how Louis sensed his "ancient power" exactly? Other than Claudia he's only been around Les & Daciana; so how could he tell? (I bet Daciana's as old Armand.) This was something that always irked me in the books, cuz TWMBK weren't sensed by Lestat until Marius brought him right up to them. Is it cuz Les was too young, or TWMBK just didn't bother projecting their presence to anyone?

Cuz we know Armand was always sending out signals with his Mind Gift (but he's a pro at it, ofc).

Sometimes it seems humans can sense the undead better than the undead can; they can just tell something's OFF.

But I'm just curious exactly what Louis was feeling from Arma--oh wait!

Yeah, never mind, stupid question! XD

Lou's REACTION, I cackled. Chile, you know how cute you are, stop acting coy! XD The man was so painfully gorgeous in this episode, like--

HE WEARS WOE LIKE VELVET, Y'ALL. 😭

He wears neck ties like the French in France, y'all! 🤣 LOUIS! You're KILLING me! 😍 The Village is waiting!

Santiago's 100% right--I am COMPLICIT in the misery of others; I just wanna see Louis break down and have a total fit (and kill Daniel while he's at it--UNWORTHY in SanFran, UNWORTHY in Dubai!).

DRAG HIM, LOUIS! Pack this closeted geriatric butch queen TF up!

I have no clue WTF is going on here, but if Daniel hates it, then I LOVE IT; keep pulling humor from HIS pain for a change, yeah!

The SKULL-DRAGGING, jfc!

My guy is UNHINGED, and I'm here for it!

Armand, why are you INTERRUPTINGGGGGG??????? 😩

OOP!

Nevermind me, Armand, put him in his PLACE, yaas!