#so yeah the vampire Armand is picking up…

[you-get-me-closer-to-god]

……wow

[e-vasong]

being a devils minion fan is insane because it is canon and also there is nothing about it thats explicable to people who havent watched the show. like what am i supposed to say?

yeah. so i ship "the vampire armand" and sometimes-twink, sometimes-old man journalist daniel molloy. yeah so what happened is that armands husband (who is still hung up on his ex) picked daniel up in a bar to murder him. except he was genuinely charmed and intrigued by daniel, and so this led to a fight severe enough that it almost caused them to acquire a Vampire Divorce. and armand was so consumed by jealousy that he kept daniel prisoner in their apartment for a week and played saw games with him. he only spared daniel because his husband interfered. then they didnt interact for fifty years, until daniel came back into armands life, exposed all his crimes, and destroyed his marriage. unless they DID interact during those fifty years, because its a moderately likely possibility that armand actually played a psychological torture game with daniel over the course of a decade, in which he made daniel run around the world so armand could catch him then release him and then start the process all over again. yeah no. his plan was that he would just kill daniel when he got bored of the game, except he fell in love with daniel instead and mightve wiped daniels memories of the entire thing. IF that happened. which it might not have. but it seems like it did. and also he might be daniels first wife. yeah. i know.

[knownoshamc]

how I think want 70s-80s Devil's Minion is going to be (unpopular?). An essay, by me. (edit: apparently I do have to make it clear that these are all my own headcanons and I'm aware that they are not a healthy couple)

The "chase" lasts a couple of months instead of years

they start as the popular fucked up sex

Armand takes Daniel on a hunt, to show him how he plays with his food sometimes, how look I could be doing the same to you. But Daniel very loudly thinks fuck that's hot

Daniel starts picking up on how Armand behaves during sex (even how dissociates sometimes), since most of the time it's when and how Daniel wants (the normal thing for Armand). He starts checking on him more, like you sure, we can do something else // are you comfortable with that? // are you okay? it's just sex for them, sure, but there is this change.

but... they also start dating. once, for fun, they are curious. more dating. Dates are Armand using his mind gift so they have the restaurant by themselves. Taking Daniel to the top of a building so he can have the best view. Museums, galleries, movies...

And Armand brings him flowers, chocolates and poetry and Daniel playfully rolls his eyes and then giggles and kisses him and he even keeps the now dried flowers. Daniel returns the favour, and Armand looks at him as if he brought him the most exquisite and most expensive gift in the world.

Daniel makes Armand laugh for the first time (Armand smiles, smirks even grins, but he doesn't easily laugh) and Daniel realizes he is in love with him. He loves how Armand can be ruthless, cruel, cold with the humans he hunts before giving them an easeful death. He loves how excited with simple things like a phone, a microwave, a blender. How he lets his mask slip sometimes (more and more as time passes) and he sees the real him, the vulnerable side he rarely shows, the anger towards the world he thinks he doesn't deserve to feel.

Armand realises he is in love with Daniel earlier, in little moments, like how human Daniel is and how for the first time in centuries that is fascinating and not indifferent. And he loves Daniel because of how excited he is when he writes something or when he wants to read to Armand an interesting book/article/something he wrote, how clever he is, how he can be cold and compassionate at the same time...

And they talk about little and big things, from a good restaurant that Armand saw pass from generation to generation, to philosophy. And Armand reads Daniel's mind to see if his mind wanders and... Daniel is fully invested. Like I love getting to know you, how you think, what you think, who you are, tell me all about you. And Armand does. He tells Daniel the most.

they are in love and explore the world together and all its fascination and simplicity, and they are really happy.

but... Daniel doesn't want this to end, he wants to stay young forever, he wants to spend forever with Armand. How can't Armand see that this is not just because Daniel wants to be with him for eternity?

Armand sees how his own darkness but lure Daniel in... a bit too much. How he thinks that watching someone die and getting a life is the same thing, how he romanticises vampirism. How maybe he focuses on Armand a lot, and misses a deadline at work. A work that he loves. Maybe one day he catches a fleeting thought of Daniel wanting children someday. But he doesn't bring it up right away. He doesn't want to lose him. And he just can't understand how Daniel can love him unconditionally.

Then Daniel proposes to him in Paris. He has a ring and a romantic little speech to go along with it. But does it really mean he loves him? Or that he wants for Armand to make him a vampire? Isn't that what marriage is, after all, a promise of forever? How can Daniel just love him? So he says no.

Daniel is hurt, he is angry that Armand doesn't really trust his love and he tells him that yeah maybe he does want kids, a family, normality. And maybe a part of him does. They break up.

Daniel meets a girl, Alice. He doesn't fall in love, she doesn't really fall in love either, but they like each other. They get together. She gets pregnant.

Daniel needs Armand's blood (he needs Armand) but he can't have that, so he turns to his old comfort, drugs. It gets bad, he goes back to Armand, asking to get back together, asking for his blood, Armand says no and Daniel storms off to get his high somewhere else. He comes back a couple of days later, apologising and promising he won't ever do it again, he will really get clean this time. Again. And again. Until he comes very close to overdosing, and Armand takes care of him until he can actually go to a rehab facility, even though Daniel just begs him for his blood, to just turn him or let him die.

And this time, he knows what to do. Daniel can't have his normal life if Armand is still in his mind. So he just... erases it all. It's the only way. He couldn't see another way. And Daniel understands what Armand intends to do and he is crying, asking him not to do it, that he can get over this on his own, but Armand doesn't trust him, so he just tries to calm him down, telling him how great his life is going to be, with a brilliant career, a family... happiness. An easeful breakup.

thank you for coming to my ted talk

[nalyra-dreaming]

COMMENTS on 2x07 - SPOILERS

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . *FIRST OFF: GOD HAVE I CRIED *No breath, no relief, all the pain This… contains a lot of swearing. . . . . . . .

The fucking rat box - there is a significant time gap between Claudia being shoved in there and her on stage. I BET that will become "that" time frame later, when Armand.... finally gets to it.

Btw, the iron boxes... an iron entrapment. I'm not sure if deliberate, but there is a piece of lore from Blood Communion that could come into play here IF they should pick it up again, later on

I’m glad they made the mental influence clear right away. Like… it’s not even subtle. And Lestat acting weird AF isn’t subtle either. It’s clear. It’s scripted. It’s the “last play”. It’s been “designed, and rehearsed.”

The Achilles’ heel slashed is so… vicious

Louis sensing and smelling Lestat… oh honey

Like that they referred to “the old place” for the other theater

Them making him swear on her diary is sooooo…💀

Santiago is so PLEASED when Lestat returns to script lol… we don’t see it but I wonder how many of the jury it took

A story of love... 💀

They are using the music box music … the fuckers

Awwww Armand being “punished” to watch… nawwwwww glad Daniel is not buying it either... and by Sam, the playwright... with a scythe... nawww. Okay, everybody buying that after that little restaurant display raise their hands, lmao.

That Lestat sleeping in the dirt is just... wrong. We already KNOW he returned to Paris twice. Another hint!!!

The repeated hint at the “ancient blood”… very on the nose

Their eye contact

Them trying to make it seem as if Louis “hunted” Lestat… lmao. As if Louis could have if Lestat would not have wanted him to????

Santiago prompting Lestat…. they seem to have pushed the narrative into his mind

on a random note: the blue contacts look so much better this season???

Oh…. Lestat SNAPPING at “fags” - loved it - so fantastically intense and creepy

“where lies their disgust now”?

Lestat making that man feel what he feels - WHY didn’t you just show this to Louis?????

THE HAIR CHANGED!!! There is that strand again! And the perfect hair in other scenes!!! INFLUENCED!! Manipulated!! I’ve been fucking saying.

OOOOHHHHH MY GOD Claudia’s turning … Louis knowing about the laws, did Louis really promise to stay???? I mean that’s just bargaining, and Louis just… begging… oh god, AND THEN THE FUCKING CUT TO ARMAND’s LOOK OH YOU FUCKER

“you were manipulated into it”… yeah. Say it, Santiago

God. Lestat there. And Louis the way he sees him.

Lestat confirming that Louis did not share affection with him anymore, as said, for years

Yeah, no, Lestat’s pose there for the Antoinette reveal is totally… natural 💀

God, Claudia cackling at Lestat saying “she’s the best of my vampiric self”… 😭

Ep5 revisit. Uhhhhh boy did they expand on what we already knew. And I KNEW something happened in the coffin room that made Lestat snap!! I KNEW IT! Okay, they kept the weird logistics of the fall (for now at least), but… yeah. This makes at least… more sense than before, I guess. Also, Lestat fully breaking script and admitting it. KNOWING he had hurt Louis there. Knowing. (I still stand by the Amel theory for the outside part and the comment in 1x06. Since they are taking from Prince Lestat….)

“A wolf congratulated for not killing her pup”!!!!!!!!

Louis is wearing something other than black again!!!!

“and then - something real” - and Armand chiming in… how… inconspicuous 💅🏼

A Stoning. Indeed.

I’m not sure how much I believe of them waking Lestat tbh… like... with the supposed trial rehearsals... and the crossing over... nawwwww

That eating blood with a spoon is so… inefficient. Like, they drink so much more???? What kind of blood is that to savor it like that? Must be special??? Or it's just show.

Oh god. Madeleine choosing Claudia. She is my coven. God.

Ugh. Lestat breaking script for Claudia. AND BY GOD I HOPE CLAUDIA FULFILLS THAT PROMISE

Oohhhhwwwwwww and Armand working SO HARD ON SAVING LOUIS!!!!! YOU LITTLE…. GNAAAHHHHH I don’t even have a word. "bites something"

God the pebbles/rocks. The entombment. And the SAME stones at the Dubai tree…

Lestat, swaying on his feet

So. Armand tells us of Claudia facing her death bravely. And defiantly. And the stare of shock and pain on Lestat’s face. Armand… the last to know the truth… for now. -.-

PREVIEW

And Armand getting Louis out.. afterwards. When… the coven did not care anymore, right??????? Mh hmmm.

Louis getting their asses

Louis going to kill Lestat??? MHHHH

EPISODE INSIDER

"it’s a fake setup - props in a play". Yeah. THAT.

Claudia doesn’t give an inch - "she knows she’s right"

“She has Lestat’s blood - if they do anything, it’s come back with a vengeance”!!!!!!!!!!! YES PLEASE 😭

Claudia’s death represents Louis’ last connection to this world

“[Claudia] was a brilliant vampire.

IN - fucking - DEED

God, what an episode.

I am... somewhat irritated that the reshot the turning and did not really revisit murder night, because the discrepancies there still stand. Except they have always intended to return to it in s3, which might make sense. Still. A bit weird, all of it. And Lestat breaking out of the control and script to admit to hurting Louis. 😭

God.

[apoptoses]

It is #Molloy Monday and I am here to remind you that Daniel is featured most from 1975-1985 aka the Sluttiest Era of Modern Male Fashion.

Coming in HOT we have the cut off short shorts and cropped t-shirt or mostly unbuttoned button down combo. Daniel visited some warm climates during the chase years so I invite you to picture him in the tiniest ripped jean shorts sweating over whether or not that auburn haired lady down the street is actually Armand!!

Or going into the 80s sometimes the tops were REALLY cropped and exposed midrift and back!! Like just picture Daniel fucking around on Night Island in this, wow wow!!

But even when the pants were long the t-shirts were TIGHT, maximum pec definition through the shirt was a must.

If he didn't wanna show that much skin? That was fine because turtlenecks where IN baby!! These are basically vampire lingerie imo, covering up the most succulent part of the neck but still leaving a hint exposed below the jaw?? Armand had to have been dying of thirst!!!

(Also when it says Armand came to pick Daniel up from jail in a lawyer's tweed suit? He wasn't wearing no modern cut, he'd have been rocking the big lapels because this was the 70s tyvm)

Also important to note was that the 70s were the era of glam rock and androgyny, so picking a silky button down that looks like a women's blouse? Totally okay for men, very in style so long as you leave the top buttons undone to expose maximum chest.

Btw velour? Was IN. This is the 1979 equivalent of a juicy couture tracksuit which Armand could have snuggled right into while they were living in London.

And while the 80s sees the rise of a looser fit, that doesn't mean the crop top died or that people weren't still rocking a more form fitted jean when they were feeling casual.

This photo is from NYC in 1983 and shows that tight t-shirts and short shorts were still very much alive, just styled a bit differently! A tight top and looser straight leg jeans, or short bottom and a flowy open top took the place of all fitted looks.

Or that the mostly unbuttoned button down went away- if anything in the 80s the buttons went even LOWER and more revealing. Paired with a boxy linen suit this is essential 80s Miami aka Night Island looks.

and yeah that's spader, leave me alone, he's peak 80s here

This sweater is loose but it's got the deep V neck and a sheer knit, perfect for the beach!!

And yeah this is Sapder AGAIN but note the half open shirt, leather jacket, and jeans that get tighter near the ankle!! Classic 80s, baggy but still sexy, A+.

I SWEAR this is the last time I'm gonna use and abuse him but peep the muscle tank with the DIY cut edges on the arm holes! V neck! 80s!!!

Basically the takeaway here is that if you're putting them in the 80s and having them rock something baggy and double denim, the look still featured a tight waistline and rolled sleeves or rolled ankles to tighten the jeans. It wasn't just baggy all over!!

Here's some random images from the entire era to finish off:

So next time you're working on fic or art instead of just tossing Daniel into a regular old t-shirt and jeans consider doing some slutty 70s and 80s looks instead 😌

[andrea-lyn]

Master Rec Post - Interview with the Vampire

well, it was inevitable, wasn't it? fourteen recs below for IWTV, primarily Armand/Daniel (any additions will be marked *NEW* in the future)

rock me like the rock of ages by exastris_scientia

The bathroom is the nastiest place Daniel has ever set foot in. Nothing but the word derelict comes to mind when he shuts the door, but not all the way because the hinges are sticky and squeak like hell when he moves the door, and he doesn’t want to get trapped in here and need Louis to come rescue him. Two of Daniel's personal interludes with Louis and Armand during the first interview, 1973. Any conclusions he reaches, he keeps to himself.

no devils evict themselves to the point of permanence by JanuaryWonder

Armand vowed not to listen in on Daniel's thoughts when he came to Dubai, but some still seep through the crevices in the wall he's erected around his mind. Or, the one in which Daniel remembers bits and pieces of a Devil's Minon-esque history with Armand and decisions need to be made, written from Armand's POV.

Bumblebee Mouth by Voidfavors

The rising sun bestowed him with a halo, and Daniel had to wonder about Armand’s flair for the dramatic. The spectacle he created was enough to make Daniel’s heart skip a beat. An attempt to bridge the gap between Devil's Minion and the AMC canon.

platform double suede by inthebelltower

Armand and Daniel pick up a third.

Garbage Island Utopia. by sunshineramblings

Daniel & Armand buy a house on Staten Island after leaving Dubai. Based off that commercial. You know the one.

Old Pains by EllaStorm

"It wasn’t a conscious decision, really, why would he make the conscious decision to move back towards the danger, the wounded, enraged, clawed, fanged danger, it wasn’t reasonable, it wasn’t cautious, it was – genuinely, just as fucking stupid as putting a needle in his vein and shooting himself to the moon for the first time in 1970 after that fucking Rolling Stones concert." In the aftermath of Louis’ swift departure to New Orleans, Daniel is left alone in the Dubai penthouse in Armand’s presence.

so ascends the flame by MountainsToRivers

Three scenes in Dubai, from Louis' departure to Daniel's turning. Armand had watched Louis leave. He was still on the floor, covered in dust, where Louis had thrown him—shape twisted at an almost unnatural angle, staring through the doorway, into the light. "You just had to keep pushing." He said it softly, amber eyes still unnervingly bright as they flicked to Daniel at last.

in the detail(s) by infinitevariety

A turning point. Immediately post-s2.

wake up missing me by dustyloves

"Yeah, congratulations," Daniel says. "You tortured me and my dick liked it, and I have to live with that forever. Are you proud?" "A little," Armand acknowledges.

bloodlust by mechup

Daniel hadn’t realized killing would be so exhilarating.

gibson girl by flowermasters

“Dark hair, slim build,” Armand said, feeling as if speaking might be the only thing keeping him from falling back asleep, from letting the boy go, from plunging into the blackened despair in the other room. “Small breasts, given her frame.” “Clinical,” the boy said. “Nice.”

care and keeping by katplanet (Currently a WIP, but def already worth the read!)

Louis shakes his head. “And now he's got you stepping on him.” Daniel picks his drink up and necks the last half of it. “I have not,” he says, “stepped on him, as of yet.” “But you want to.” “I think so?” Daniel puts the empty glass back on the table and scoots it out of their immediate limb radius. “I think I could want to. I want to want to.” “There you go,” Louis says, “tell him that. That'll set the mood.”

give the dog a treat before you take him out back and shoot him by shrek2enjoyer

Later, Daniel will struggle to remember what he sees in this moment. He might recall the vampire lunging at him, aiming for his neck with teeth ready to bite. In the late hazy nights where his mind holds less inhibition, he may think that the vampire was reaching for his shoulders, trying to find something to grab hold of so that he wouldn’t fall. On exactly one occasion he’ll contemplate the idea that the vampire was leaning in for a kiss. He will immediately discard the thought as proof that he needs to lower his dopamine prescription.

i'm old enough to face the dawn by exastris_scientia

The living room is dark and silent behind him, so he feels relatively secure in fishing the half-empty pack of cigarettes and lighter out of the pocket of his jeans. He doesn’t like to smoke in front of people as a general rule, since he almost never feels like explaining that technically he hasn’t been a smoker since 2005, he just keeps them around for especially stressful occasions. And this week has been the most stressful one he’s experienced since he got his Parkinson’s diagnosis. “I can’t say I’d recommend that,” Armand says smoothly from the space beside his elbow. Daniel jumps. “Jesus Christ. How long have you been lurking there like Nosferatu?”

[bigskydreaming]

The Vampire Daniel Molloy, when Louis asks what he's looking forward to most about the next stage of his newly immortal life:

Hmm. With how much my maker already complains about me ruining his life and how every day I give him a new reason to regret ever siring me, if I had to pick just one thing, I'd say the thing I'm most looking forward to is when I hit vampire puberty.

Louis: ....

Daniel: Vampire puberty's when the really wild superpowers kick in, right?

Louis: I suppose technically that's not....inaccurate.

Daniel: Hey, what are the chances of me getting the 'set shit on fire with my brain' thing you've got? Can you even imagine how much that would piss him off? His disappointment of a fledgling having the same gifts as the ex who dumped his ass....oh, man. C'mon now. I bet I could do some real damage with that.

Louis: Actually, while we're near the subject: would you please stop introducing yourself as 'the reason your vampire parents got divorced?'

Daniel: No, Louis, Louis! You're not getting it, see....the thing that makes it funny is its true.

Louis: You've really decided to lean into the whole 'second childhood' angle, huh.

Daniel: Mmmm. And just think. If you'd turned me fifty years ago when I first asked, I'd be well past this stage by now. And also still twenty. And hot.

Louis: Ahh. Its like that, then, is it.

Daniel: Oh, only a little bit. Really though, its like, every day I discover a new way to make Armand rue my very existence all over again, and maybe I'm just a simple man with simple needs, because that's just....very fun for me. I mean, there's just something extra validating in knowing the guy you're all "fuck that guy, I hate him, he sucks" about hates you waaaay more than you can be bothered to hate him. Because then its like you win the feud, right? You still get to hate that guy, which is great, because fuck that guy, he sucks, but you also get to know your very existence drives him way crazier than his ever makes you, and I mean, let's be real. Who doesn't like winning things?

Louis: Well I'm so glad you've found something that gives you a sense of purpose at least. Its very -

Daniel: Yeah, yeah, immortal blood drinkers need hobbies other than mass murder, it keeps the body count low and is good for the environment. Relax. I know. I literally wrote the book on it. You were there.

Louis: That's what you got out of it?

Daniel: Why, did you want me to fixate on your sex scenes instead? That seems weird. A little narcissistic even. And at the risk of self-awareness, when I'm the one -

Louis: Right. Well. I just wanted to make sure you had something to focus your energies on. It can all be a bit overwhelming at first and with your level of public attention at the moment, its very crit -

Daniel: Nope, all good here. Got myself a steady supply of Deadbeat Dad jokes that make my maker's eye twitch - apparently base word play is "gauche" or some shit - ugh, my god, its like nothing I do is ever good enough for him, and I only ate one of the editors on my shitlist to test drive my shiny new murder skills. He had this thing about Oxford commas, used to bug the crap out of me. Its like we get it, you hate them. They're literally dots on a page, they can't hurt you, can we please move on....

Louis: ....

Daniel: Louis, I'm kidding. Look, you don't have to worry about me. I already decided I find emotional evisceration way more satisfying than the physical version. Less clean up and it lasts longer anyway. I'm not going to get myself into trouble by cosplaying as Jack the Ripper where paparazzi can catch me red-fanged, and even if I do, I hereby absolve you of all responsibility. You can stop mother-henning me, you didn't turn me, you literally said no when I begged you to, its the whole reason I have eternal wrinkles instead of youthful tautness.

Louis: Not gonna let that one go, are you.

Daniel: Gimme a few centuries and ask me again. I'll let you know then.

Louis: Mmhmm. So this was....memorable and we definitely won't be doing it again. But you do seem to have things figured out so I'll leave you to it, then.

Daniel: Wait, Louis, don't go! Don't you want to hear my five-century life plan for annoying Armand into an early retirement mausoleum? I made visual aids!

Louis: Goodbye, Daniel.

Daniel: Fine, leave then! I don't care! You're not my real dad anyway! Et cetera, et cetera!

[murfpersonalblog]

Armand or Lestat? Who’s WORSE?- AvatarAdrian

Just copy/pasting what I said in the comments, cuz it represents my whole stance on Lestat vs Armand:

Omg thank you for the discourse! "Do I wanna be thrown through walls and dropped from the clouds, or do I wanna be emotionally manipulated and have my memories edited?" THIS. Physical abuse vs mental/psychological abuse. Pick your poison. Lestat & Armand are the only lovers Louis ever has, so you're forced to sit & go which one IS better, or are they both EQUALLY horrendous in their own way? The one who's brazen about his toxic behavior, so you at least know what you're working with, even if you can't beat him; or the one victimizing himself while he screws you over and makes you think YOU'RE the problem, so you're stuck in the same limbo for 77 YEARS going NOWHERE until a literal professional has to come EXTRACT you from the situation (Lestat during the Trial & Daniel during the interview)?

 I 100% agree with you about Lestat's casual racist colorblindness, but that's exactly the trap Claudia fell for, thinking skinship=kinship just cuz Armand led the coven & was darker-skinned than Louis. (2x2 "I was just glad no one wanted to lynch me;" VS. 2x7 "it's a stoning!") So I disagree that Armand's easier to deal with. Lestat's the Ike Turner Louis was eventually able to fight back against & run away from. But Armand's the Charles Manson tryna convert you into a LITERAL cult, gaslighting the absolute hell out of you to become his perfect little Stepford Wife--THE devil's minion.   

Lestat's like a bull in a china shop, just there to wreck your whole set. You can see his crazy arse coming a mile away. Lestat's "gonna do what he feels is best for himself and what's best for you." THIS. This controlling/oppressive God Complex behavior's at the root of his worst personality traits. He'll lovebomb & obfuscate & withhold, not out of MALICE, but out of his fear or rejection/abandonment on top of his pisspoor communication skills. He's unapologetic up to a point--IMO The Vampire Lestat & Queen of the Damned are Lestat's way of apologizing to Louis, by coming forward with all the secrets Louis always asked him about & wanted to know about him--all cards on the table, finally. And Lestat spends the rest of The Vampire Chronicles tryna become "a vampire WORTHY of Louis' love." He's still THE Brat Prince, and a perfect devil, but he tries to at least be a BETTER devil for LOUIS' sake. 

Armand's the snake you never see coming. "Oh, I won't be sitting in church being all judgemental, even though I am being just as nasty as  the rest of these miserable church folk." LOL! XD Facts, he can't be trusted, cuz he's stronger than you (like Lestat), and even worse: he's SMARTER than you, too! Louis & Claudia were able to trick & outsmart Lestat. You need to be a LITERAL PhD Pulitzer winning investigative journalist to crack Armand open. Daniel's the only one who can see thru Armand's BS. 

So yeah, I'd rather deal with Lestat.

[karotka]

I've been rewatching IWTV and what's clicked for me were Armand's motivations for betraying Louis. On first watch I thought it was such a confusing and irrational thing to do. Now, obviously it was capital B Bad etc., but we all know that, boring question. But was it a logical (≠justified) decision to pick the coven? I'm starting to think it kind of was 🤔

The café scene is so heartbreaking, makes me kick and scream at the screen, Armand on his way to end it all and Madeleine asks why Louis doesn't want him to know how much he loves him, and Louis confidently replies, “he knows.” Reader, did he know? I feel like part of the tragedy is that it didn't really matter at that point.

Press pause on the betrayal of it all and look at the facts from Armand's perspective:

Louis is suicidal. He has an expiry date, the coven vampires don't. Louis is suicidal, the coven is forever 😂😂 To quote Lestat, “There is one thing about being a vampire that I most fear above all else... And that is loneliness. You can't imagine the emptiness, a void stretching out for decades at a time.” Armand asks Madeleine, “What will you do, in a few decades, when she throws herself into the fire?” and then finds Louis in a pool of blood, his wrist slashed. He voices this to Louis much later – when he has no right to demand anything from him, but the sentiment stays true – “You left me for death. Will I be on suicide watch for the next 1,000 years?”

Louis straight up murdered his previous lover. Now, we know it wasn't all that, but Armand didn't. Major red flag, anyone? “I killed him and he fucking had it coming.” And he DID, but that's beside the point, isn't it? Especially since we know Armand is just as capable of domestic abuse :') He knew that Louis wasn't the kind of person who would just take his shit forever. If you want somebody to trust you, don't let them know you took part in the murder of your ex, heartfelt advice from both of them.

Speaking of exes, Louis is SO not over Lestat. I mean, neither is Armand, they're such a train wreck of a relationship :D But yeah, Louis is not fully committed to Armand, denying publicly that they're companions, hallucinating his ex in the bedroom or while Armand is sharing his traumatic past and, most damning of all, refusing to join the coven.

From Armand's perspective, he's risking it all for Louis and Louis a) doesn't appreciate it at all, and b) refuses to do the bare minimum of getting along with his family. (If someone treated my daughter-sister the way Armand treated Claudia, I'd kill them with my bare hands, but Louis acts like he doesn't mind. Can you imagine me without the burden of her? :/) (and yeah, he could just leave his shitty cult, the same way they could have left each other during those 70 years. Shitty stability > loneliness, I guess.)

A minor point maybe, but the moment you know that Lestat is out there and wants revenge, that only adds to the expiry date part. Especially once Lestat is cooperating with the coven, because I imagine that while Armand is OP enough to fight the coven, all of them + Lestat might be a bit too much. Maybe Armand even hoped once Louis is out of the picture they could get back together? We don't really know what exactly was going on behind the scenes but Lestat's sheer existence is bad for loumand... It is what it is.

And Louis just... repeatedly ignores Armand's warnings. I mean, they both knew Armand was going to execute him that one time. They tried to make it work but Louis was living on borrowed time from that point. Add Armand's apparent MO of “everything I love must eventually burn down so I will take control of the situation by orchestrating the downfall myself” et voilà. He was given a choice and he chose.

And THEN he betrayed the coven for Louis at his most unwell. Iconic!

[maester-of-spreadsheets]

DASH!!! or; kpop music to listen to when you're a vampire chasing someone for sport. or maybe just walking really fast and vibing sometimes because, like, whatever you'll catch the guy eventually.

Track list:

Shadow - f(x): why not warm up with an amazing song about stalking

Dash - NMIXX: I wanna dash, I wanna run it, I wanna run it run it DASH!

Baddie - IVE: I'm a baddie, ba-ba-baddie, baddie/Pretty little risky baddie/뭐든 될 대로 되라지/Catch me if you caAAAAan

The Chaser - INFINITE: definitely one i added because of the title and bpm but the lyrics are weirdly appropriate so here we are

LOVE BOMB - fromis_9: I MEAN...

As if it's Your Last - Blackpink: It's certainly going to be someone's last

I'm so sick - Apink: I'm so sick of lying........ You gotta know that☹️

Sleepless Night - 9 Muses: Metronomic!

Feel My Rhythm - Red Velvet: look it's sampling bach and it's cute but the hihats make it sound it lowkey wants to kill you what else was i supposed to do?

Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard's wife - LE SSERAFIM: this is probably the title of a painting in the Loumand loft

Catellena - Orange Caramel: okay so here we have a kpop song sampling a punjabi folk song and the lyrics have all the antagonistic homoerotic yearning of Jolene and the music video has an extended metaphor comparing sushi to beauty standards and maybe capitalism?? i'm just saying it's avant garde enough for Armand

YES or YES - TWICE: 😊 Hey boy! /Look, I'm gonna make this simple for you😊 /You got two choices😊/Yes or YES? 😊

Hold on Tight - aepsa: Keep on moving!

PICK ME - PRODUCE 48: From now on, you’re mine, mine, mine, only mine mine, mine, mine (Superstar)

BBoom BBoom - Momoland: Great!

LIAR LIAR - Oh My Girl: Your freedom is OVER!

Oh! my mistake - April: You’re not allowed to make me feel lonely

Gotta Go - Chung Ha: Gotta go, gotta go

Smiley - Yena: [through gritted teeth] And I say, hey!/I’m gonna make it smile, smile, smile away/I’ll smile prettily and move past it/Just smile away, just smile away-ay,

GingaMingaYo - Billlie: Wel! Come! to! the! Strangeee-eeee! World! WOW!

Catch Me if You Can - SNSD: yeah, good luck with that

Wife - (G)I-DLE: I [pick lint off your couch] it's so twinkle twinkle

Run - BTS: Run, run, run!

RUN2U - StayC: So I run to you!! [unsettling chord progression]

Up & Down - EXID: free shit post vid idea...Armand telephathically moving Daniel's chair up and down during the chorus

Magnetic (Starlight Remix) - ILLIT: Dash-da-da, dash-da-da, dash-da, like it's magnetic

ETA - NewJeans: The day you couldn't come [home from your fuck pad]/The day [Daniel] got in so much trouble/The day [I] couldn't break up with [my husband]/The day [I had to kill our neighbor]/The day [Lestat's voice showed up in my mind]/I HEARD. HIM. SAY.......

I Don't Care - 2NE1: I don't care e e e e e, I don't care e e e e e e

Red Flavor -Red Velvet: Red flavor, I'm curious, honey/It tastes like slowly melting strawberry when I bite into it

ASAP - NewJeans: H-h-h-hi, it's me again, I'm back (hey)/Let's talk ASAP/Do you have the time?//A-S-A-P, baby/Hurry up, don't be lazy/A-S-A-P, baby/Hurry up, don't say maybe/A-S-A-P, baby/Hurry up, don't say/Hurry up, don't say/Just for a minute/Tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok, tik, tik tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok, tik, tik tik-tok, tik-tok, tik-tok, tik, tik...........

[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

[apoptoses]

JESS i’m having louis/armand/daniel brain rot again, i wanna know your thoughts 🥺 specifically like, are there any things that armand and daniel enjoyed during their DM years that you think they might pick back up with louis at trinity gate? i feel like in my head, daniel is always kind of the third wheel (at trinity gate, at least), but i’m really fascinated by the idea of LOUIS being the one to step into their world for a change

oh man oh man, I LOVE this question!! and i have so many thoughts!!

Movies: we know Louis watches movies from how he kept showing up at Lestat's in body thief to stare at his tv lol But I think Armand and Daniel have so many inside jokes from all of the weirdo movies they used to watch, or quotes that they repeat and Louis doesn't get it. So I think they'd really enjoy sitting him down and subjecting him to the Worst Hits of Armand's Movie Phase.

And Daniel especially would enjoy the validation that some of these are fuckin terrible films LOL They could mind gift back and forth about how insipid Louis finds the plot until Daniel is sitting there choking back laughter because finally, someone who agrees Time Bandits isn't that funny.

Video Games: I don't mean modern console games, I mean like classic arcade games and pinball machines. Which Armand probably has a whole room of them in the basement somewhere, lovingly restored and in perfect condition. And I think Louis would be a little hesitant- he seems like the type who acts 'above' certain things just because if he tries it and sucks at it he'll feel humiliated. But even he can't resist the siren call of PacMan and eventually he's knocked them both down on the scoreboard and taken the top spot.

(Also they like to go out a lot so sometimes they end up at like, Dave n Busters LOL Which is far more contentious because ugh, it's noisy and tacky and smells like that radioactive 'cheese' mortals cover their nachos with. But your jock!Louis headcanons have bewitched me and I think they could soothe him by getting him to shoot hoops on the basketball game)

Going Out-Out: Louis is such a homebody when left to his own devices and now that they've got Trinity Gate, home to whatever vampires want to stop by, what's the point in spending time among mortals?

So they'd ease him in with some random one-off classes ("Come, Louis, we've an appointment to learn to make fresh pasta tonight" "Yeah, I know, what's the point when we don't eat, just don't argue with him, it'll be fun" And you know what? It is). And then they'd take him to random stuff from the meetup app (or not so random, because both of them know Louis wouldn't be able to resist debating strangers at a weekly book club).

And then they're back to running around strange apartment buildings to meet up and coming artists, and accepting invites to follow their classmates down to a local bar, and crashing the sets of night shoots around New York. It goes better when it's the three of them because when someone is over it and ready to go home there's no obligation to stay and keep their partner company. No pressure to do anything but enjoy existing together out in the world for a few hours.

Special mentions:

board games (the more obscure the better)

travel (this time Louis and Daniel are more mentally present lol)

letting armand play sugar daddy and picking their outfits for the ballet (which leads to some altercations that have armand feeling like that post about 'help my subs have unionized')

weird 70s/80s craft nights (louis ends up gifting his tie dye shirt to lestat, armand and daniel send theirs to marius)

'treasure hunting' aka scamming the wealthy out of their art collections (louis doesn't care about the value, he does however feel some righteous indignation over important historical pieces being kept in vaults as some tech bro's 'investment'; daniel is just happy to finally understand how armand does it, and take part in it himself)

abusing kitchen gadgets (doesn't matter who you are, playing 'will it blend' can catch the fascination of even the most arrogant, erudite vampires)

[three--rings]

GOD GOD GOD it's time for FERAL VAMPIRE HOUR!!!

EP5 man. Man. Man.

Fucking Excellent Shit.

The level of compelling this show can put on the screen has fucking peaked.

Okay so random thoughts.

They totally tricked and distracted the fans with that combo punch of Armand-Louis dom dynamic shift last week and the tease of Devil's Minion dynamic in the preview.

Only to be like, oh yeah by the way, all the shit you thought was happening before ep 4 was totally right, Armand is an unhinged psychopath and edited both of their memories.

Of Course. That absolves Louis of nothing, because like he's just as terrible a person as always, blaming his partner for all of his emotional flaws. Literally saying "I have to cheat on you because you are boring." like, okay LESTAT.

I am IN AWE of Assad.

Like WOAH. I thought Jacob would be the ultimate in impressive acting in this show but Assad was sitting there playing Minecraft all of season 1 only to blow the fucking doors off the house in S2.

He's so deeply unhinged and dangerous and also hurt and possibly genuinely in love in a toxic, possessive way. And he managed to do all this eye acting through fucking CONTACTS?

God. This show is so fucking good. If it doesn't get picked up for S3 I'm gonna cry.

Interesting hints in the preview, but I try not to draw too many conclusions since we know they know how to manipulate us.

Really wondering what asstastic opinions the fandom will conjure about this one after "Louis is racist" from last week. It's like people just spin a wheel and decide which of the characters they're going to woobify each week. (I shouldn't go into tags but I crave those sweet sweet gifsets.)

[anaid-queen]

so i was just thinking thoughts and....

what if Armand didn't just alter Louis' memories to spare him the pain from losing Lestat [or to prevent them getting back together… as i firmly believe that Louis has no idea Lestat is alive, but Armand absolutely knows]

(even baring the question whether he did that upon Louis request or without his consent or knowledge at all)

what if Louis didn't ask for a do-over of the interview and Armand begrudgingly agreed despire his fears (re: the anger of the other vampires), because he loves him and he wants him to be well [yeah right]

what if Louis didn't call Armand the love of his life as a cope / because he's trying to forgot about Lestat / both.

what if Armand truly is full deep in his villain arc here and exerting far greater control over Louis than we ever feared? what if Louis somehow managed to arrange for the interview when he (Armand) was otherwise occupied, in a desperate bid to break free from the prison his body and soul are trapped inside of (that he can barely begin to judge the size and shape of).

what if he didn't [or didn't just, you have to give the boy some credit] pick Daniel to interview him because he already knew him / thought he would do well at the job.

but because he knew that he was the one, singular, only person who Armand might actually allow inside. the one person he wouldn't kill even if he got in his way.

yeah i'm not saying i want the present-day plot to be actually very psycho, with Armand torn between his….whatever it is he has for Louis (love? affection, at least? something that manifests in a very fucked up "protection" mechanism, anyway) and his love for Daniel, while fearing both are slipping out of his grasp - feat. of course whatever absolutely unhinged reaction Louis will have when he finds out Lestat is in fact very much alive - but….. yeah i might be saying that actually.

[in-kyblogs]

top 5 iwtv quotes, go!

Oh this is delicious!

1) “What rage you must feel as you choke on your sorrow” - like. The entirety of that monologue is just unmatched. “Be all the beautiful things you are and be them without apology” ???!!! Kissing the writers on their beautiful brain. (I’ll cheat this counts as one quote being in the same scene ops)

2) “He asks, standing in the ashes” is genius I think, it has all the desperation of Armand losing his coven, a beautiful level of poetry so true for the way a vampire grown up in the renaissance might talk and his immediate understanding of Lestat as a person that is at the core of their dynamic (which basically is an ‘I hate you, but who could love me and understand me more than you, since we are the same breed of monstrous?’ thing)

3) “as if I had walked my entire life as a dead man and now, dead, could finally receive the secrets of existence." I don’t know something about the freedom vampirism could represent for Louis and then how all of it crumbles down on him and instead cages him in himself always gets to me. That’s why I liked the end of his arc in the finale, with him calling vampirism a gift and finally reclaiming it.

4) I don’t remember the exact quote and I can’t find it but the entry from Claudia’s diaries that goes “Maybe I wanna be joyfully joyless”. I love how that quote alone makes us see how unhealthy and codependent Louis and Claudia’s relationship has gotten, and how they are resentful of each other as a result.

5) “with no obvious sense of why I follow them, except meaning slowly disintegrates without them.” Maybe my absolute favorite. It’s just so tragic but also mixed with the obvious love they have for each other, and that love ultimately doesn’t change anything. I’m a slut from tragedy clearly

Honorable mentions from episode 1.01: “You’ve grown old, Daniel”. It just has a whole new layer of meaning after 2.05. And “I laid down with the Devil. And he has roots in me. All his spindly roots in me” Jacob. Jacobbbbb. (I didn’t want to pick all the quotes from the same episode but honestly 1.01 is just the most beautiful writing ever)

Honorable mention from season 2: “The wilderness that is our daughter”. Makes me think of this Jacob quote:

Yeah big season for children of parents over all lol (cries)

Ask me my "TOP 5/TOP 10" anything!

[xxgothchatonxx]

I do subscribe to the theory that the reason for the 'second' interview is that it'd be an excuse for Armand* to see Daniel one last time before he died. Or at least it's one reason.

I mean, it does sound both romantic and way too over-dramatic with a nice sprinkle of horror but that's 100% on brand for Armand because, oh my god, just pick up the phone?? (Yeah, I know, 95% of the Vampire Chronicles wouldn't happen if these undead drama queens just communicated better)

Oh, and I reckon Armand is going to turn Daniel before he dies. Which would be really interesting considering Daniel in this version is very much "yeah nah, don't want it anymore, thanks". (Emphasis on 'anymore'... those Devil's Minion flashbacks are going to be intense)

*and Louis, I mean Daniel is their boy this time around. I also reckon Louis might be trying to give Daniel some closure by completing the interview but because his story is as hole-y as a colander (no i don't think it's 100% lies because that would be so bloody lazy...), it's not exactly the perfect story for Daniel to easily publish before he croaks.