#loumand meta

[captainsaltymuyfancy2]

I’m not so sure about this post, I’m not really confident in any of it, it’s mostly just wild conjecture and aimless rambling. I’m open to discussion and to changing my mind, this is just what I’m thinking at the moment. Thank you to everyone cited for inspiration❤️

I’m really fascinated by what Jacob said about how the longevity of Louis and Armand’s relationship has led to both tenderness and resentment. The reasons why Louis might resent Armand are PLENTIFUL, but what possible reason would Armand have to resent Louis? Obviously it’s not going to be a “good” reason, but that makes it all the more delectable.

Right now I kind of have this theory that Armand resents Louis in part because he thinks Louis’ shows of affection are disingenuous. Put more accurately, his suspicion that Louis’ affection is disingenuous and his ensuing resentment underlie a deeper fear that Louis doesn’t love him.

HOWEVER, the kicker is that Louis does still feel some kind of affection for Armand. Just like he felt for Lestat when he and Claudia (mostly Claudia) were planning their escape, Louis feels some love for Armand still, but he’s able to leverage it in pursuit of his goal. What exactly this goal is remains to be seen (although I have some serious guesses…well mostly one guess).

Whatever it is, I think Louis has been planning very carefully for a long time to get to it. As @likethemodel points out here, their bed is literally a chessboard, like the one Claudia played in order to best Lestat and get under his skin in s1. The IWTV cast and crew have repeatedly describe the dynamics in Dubai as “3D chess”, and it doesn’t get much more 3D than using yourself as a chess piece. This is what the major question in Dubai is for me: not “did he fuck that old man” or “did Armand alter Louis’ memories”, but rather “What is Louis’ agenda, why has he brought all of these pieces together in this way?”

If my theory is correct, I think it would tie in nicely with the book. As @nativehueofresolution said in this post, Louis in the book does love Armand, but not in a way Armand understands at that point. If this was translated into the show, it could take the form of Louis still loving Armand in some way, like his few displays of affection such as kissing him in bed and squeezing/rubbing his shoulder during the interview being at least partly genuine, but also strategic.

So even though Louis’ affection in these gestures may be somewhat genuine, the context is still performative in order to accomplish a higher goal, though exactly what remains unclear. This much I think Armand can see and he resents, but I think he misinterprets it to mean Louis doesn’t love him at all. But the love is there and it is mutual to a degree, just not in a way Armand can see, which is kind of poetic justice and the absolute least he deserves.

Digressing a bit, even though Louis is being genuinely affectionate at times, even if it was totally without ulterior motives, it still could never be enough for Armand, because what he views as love is simply not something Louis can give.

In an interview posted here by @diasdelfuego, Hannah Moscovitch says she thinks that “Armand is Louis’ creature”, and agreed with the interviewer that Armand “serves a god” in his relationship with Louis. I interpreted this to mean that Armand has *made himself* into Louis’ creature, Louis’ disciple. And like Judas in the artwork in their bedroom (post also courtesy of @diasdelfuego), Armand becomes resentful and thinks Louis doesn’t love him because Louis doesn’t treat him the way Armand thinks a disciple should be treated.

The problem (well, one of MANY) is that this dynamic Armand has tried to create pretty much dooms him to never get back the kind of love he wants from Louis right now. In deciding he ‘serves a god’, Armand has made it impossible for Louis to love him in the way Armand craves, because Louis is not a god. Armand has made himself a disciple to a god that doesn’t exist, and feels betrayed when that nonexistent god doesn’t respond to his worship. Again, it’s poetic justice, but only the very tip of what he deserves. Lukewarm justice.

It’s surely not lost on Louis how stupid (more accurately, hypocritical and insulting) it is that Armand worships him like a god, and yet Armand himself holds godlike power over Louis’ life. A disciple does not control a god, and Louis knows this, he’s chronically Catholic. He knows the control Armand has over him, and I think this interview is partly a way for him to circumvent that power. Armand’s attempts to manipulate and “protect” Louis doom his quest for all-consuming devotion even more. I love messy bitches who create their own problems.

The god-worship is probably one aspect of Louis’ resentment toward Armand, but again this is something that’s so deeply, painfully layered. Between forcing Louis to turn Madeleine and killing Claudia (assuming, as most of us are, that the show is following the book in this way), the depth of Louis’ resentment for Armand is abyssal. Which would make the fact that Louis does still love him (per my aforementioned theory) even more shocking and scrumptious, and his plotting all the more emotionally difficult.

#my iwtv #iwtv spoilers #iwtv speculation #iwtv meta #loumand #loumand meta

[heliza24]

Armand and Unbreakable Cycles

So (perhaps unsurprisingly at this point) I have a TON of Armand thoughts after yesterday’s episode. Specifically I want to talk about the function of the 1790s section, and how it perfectly illuminates the cycle of maladaptive behavior that Armand is caught up in and the difference between his stated wants and his actual needs. I think the setup we saw in this episode will also be crucial to understanding how Dubai plays out, so I want to talk about that too.

I know a lot of people love the show and TVC because of Lestat, and there’s some frustration that Lestat was presented in a way that was untrue or filtered. But I really think you have to view this episode as a lens into Armand, which we in turn need in order to understand Louis. Everyone has someone similar to Lestat’s role in Armand’s life; an ex or a situationship or a former friend who takes up so much real estate in your brain because of their outsized impact  on you, who probably never thinks of you in return. We give these people a role in the story we craft of how we became who we are. That narrativizing is kind of the only way to understand yourself and survive (especially if you’re going to live forever). So I don’t doubt that there are things that Armand says that are untrue, or exaggerated, or twisted in his favor. But I do think the important part is the emotional impact his encounter with Lestat had on him, and I do think he’s being honest about those emotions.

(That being said I am of course very excited to see these events play out again in season 3 from Lestat’s POV. Don’t fuck it up AMC!!!)

The main thing that the flashback does is set up the cycle that Armand finds himself in over and over again. He consistently finds himself clinging to control in an institution he is starting to lose faith in, and is then shaken out of his complacency by a new love that seems– falsely– to rescue him.

Depending on how they adapt his very early backstory, I think we can probably assume that this pattern started in childhood for him. Marius rescued him from being forced into sex work, and seemed to offer a much better life. But in reality he was just grooming Armand. (Thanks @toriangeli for correcting a piece of my Marius lore here!)

In Paris he continues maintaining a strictly enforced life of misery for the coven long after he stops believing in it himself, and (by his telling at least) he was grateful to Lestat for having the strength to end it when he could not. It’s so clear why Armand falls for Lestat. Lestat’s refusal to live in shame, his love of the arts, his ability to exist amongst humanity (at least when he is on stage). Lestat is of the world, while Armand and the coven hide from it. 

The reason I think it is so important that we got to see this play out in Paris is the way it illuminates the sometimes tricky relationship between Louis and Armand. Once again, Armand is the head of an institution that operates on strict and oppressive rules. Once again, we can feel Armand’s enthusiasm for this system waning (and see it reflected physically in the lack of ticket sales and general shabbiness of the theatre). And once again, Armand is swept off his feet by this new vampire who refuses to join, who loves humanity, and who has a passion for art. Louis is very much of the world. He refuses to be pinned down into coven life. Armand can’t resist taking what looks like the opportunity for escape in Louis’s love. 

What I think is so fascinating about this cycle is that it allows Armand to remain passive. He never has to be the one to make the hard call to walk away from a kind of life that is no longer serving him. He just has to wait for the next gorgeous man to arrive to deliver him.  As he says to Louis, “those with the most power are often the weakest”. His status and power in the coven prevents him from changing his own life. Or at least that’s what he believes. 

Thinking about this helped me understand the dynamic of what goes down in the sewers, when Armand threatens Louis’s life. Assad says in the behind the scenes clips that Armand goes into that encounter very set on killing Louis, and I believe him.  So I rewatched it a couple of times trying to understand when, and why, Armand changes his mind. The shift occurs when they start talking about Claudia, and Armand says that her mind will break apart soon because she was made too young. Louis says “you don’t know her,” and Armand responds, “I don’t have to. I’ve seen it before. I’ve seen too much.” That admission– I’ve lived through this cycle multiple times before, it is painful, and I don’t want to do it again– is what shifts Armand from being ready to kill Louis to letting him go. 

There is of course an irony here; mentally ill and child vampires do not necessarily need to go mad. Generally they go mad at least partially because of Armand’s actions. And as we’ve already discussed, Armand going to sleep with Louis instead of killing him is really just a repeat of his actions with Lestat. He isn’t really breaking a cycle at all. But I think in that moment he believes that he is. Maybe he even believes that by being with a man who enacted great violence on Lestat, he can drown out the love and anguish he still feels about Lestat. At the very least, Louis has also loved Lestat and can therefore understand Armand’s narration of his own life in a way that not many other people can. 

Ok, so now we are caught up on the past. Let’s talk about Dubai, and how once again Armand is engaged in the exact same cycle of behavior.

The penthouse is Armand’s new coven. He maintains perfect order by controlling the physical environment and shaping Louis’s moods and memories. But just like before, this way of life is no longer serving Armand (or Louis for that matter). You can see that the spark between them has died, only rekindled as a kind of performance when they are in front of Daniel. When Armand is telling Daniel about Lestat destroying the coven, and Daniel accuses Armand of leading Lestat to the coven intentionally… he might as well be talking about himself. Armand has let Daniel into his fortress, and there is at least a part of him that wants whatever destruction Daniel is about to bring into his life.

Daniel fits Armand’s type completely. Daniel is of course more human than Lestat or Louis could ever be. He knows about telenovelas and Bollywood and all other types of art. He’s whipsmart and inquisitive and is not going to let Armand get away with passively maintaining his old order. He’s of the world in a way that Armand finds irresistible. 

I specifically found it interesting how many of the “Great Laws” Armand would be breaking by being with Daniel. Granted, Armand isn’t in the coven anymore when he meets Daniel. But I imagine old habits are hard to break, and being with Daniel would break almost all of them. Daniel is a mortal Armand has revealed his true nature to and allowed to live, Daniel has written about and exposed vampire secrets, and (if we’re looking at book canon) Daniel begs for the dark gift himself, a thing only the maitre is supposed to be able to approve. 

Assuming that a chunk of Devil’s Minion did happen in the 1970s, something interrupted that love affair, before it could settle back down into a new but still oppressive status quo. Something prompted Armand to actively break his pattern of behavior and erase Daniel’s memories. I think it’s impossible not to think about Nicki’s example here, especially after seeing the 1790s flashback. I’m going to assume that 1970s Daniel was struggling with addiction and mental health issues in a way that may have been reminiscent of Nicki. How intentional was Armand in withdrawing because he saw what vampire involvement- his involvement- did to Nicki? How much was his treatment of Daniel a reparation for past mistakes he made?

These last couple of paragraphs are speculation, really, because we won’t know exactly what Armandaniel looked like until Ep 5. But I think it was crucial that we saw this part of Armand’s story before we see San Francisco, because his actions with Daniel will make more sense if we can compare them with the love affairs of Armand’s past.

Regardless, I do think the disparity between what Armand claims to want (maintaining the status quo) vs what he actually wants (to be liberated by a romantic partner) vs what I think he actually needs (to take action himself, instead of waiting for someone to do it for him) is going to play a role in the way Dubai unfolds. I don’t know that Armand will ever get to the point where he’s actively able to break out of the cycle he’s in, because this is Interview with the Vampire, the show of fucked up gothic romances. Vampire life is a series of bad decisions! It’s a weird arrested development you never quite get out of despite living for forever! So it would make total sense if the ending of Dubai mimics the ending of the Children of Satan and the Paris Coven in an unhealthy way. But regardless, it’s gonna be a fun ride, and I can’t wait to see it.

#interview with the vampire #iwtv #my meta #Armand #Daniel #Lestat #lesmand #armandaniel #devil's minion #Louis #loumand

[shelfperson]

OKAY OKAYYYYY OKAY like i understand why people are bullying louis right now. it’s not a great look to dick down the guy who just now threatened to murder you and your daughter. but taken from louis’ perspective? without our foreknowledge of the plot? for all he knows he’s just gained an important and powerful ally.

like???? before armand spares louis, he does the whole “why are the powerful so weak” speech with the obvious implication that he doesn’t want to enact the Great Laws on louis specifically. and then he… doesn’t. And then, and this is crucial, opens up to louis about ALSO having his heart broken by lestat. which puts him in a place of automatic solidarity with him. and then he kisses him! as assad said the post-show breakdown, armand had to choose between the coven and louis in that moment and he chose louis.

like as far as louis is concerned, he and claudia are safe. at the very least, sage from armand specifically.

and like. i am absolutely 100% certain armand will have something to do with claudia’s death but i kind of doubt that armand is just like. masterminding from the shadows all day everyday and is retroactively altering the ENTIRE NARRATIVE. that’s just so boring. he becomes a non-character at that point.

what i think is much more likely is what a lot of people have been theorizing about: santiago stages a coup because armand is a fucking hypocrite and makes armand pick between claudia or louis. and armand is going to pick louis. and that’s what armand is hiding from louis. not that he personally killed her in cold blood but that he killed her through inaction/indirect action.

i’m also super exited to see the resentment between claudia and armand ramp up from here. like HELLO CHOKESLAM WHAT THE FUCK???? get AWAY from her.

anyway i bet armand and claudia have some really adversarial interactions after this point and that’s part of what armand doesn’t want louis to see in claudia’s diaries. like the two of them are perfectly positioned to activate the other’s trauma’s/hangups because they’re BOTH afraid of being abandoned they BOTH know what it’s like to always be someone’s second choice and they both really want louis to pick the other.

on top of that, i’m sure armand’s scary ass is having his disney villain “if it weren’t for those meddling middle aged kids” moment about claudia at some point too.

like i doubt he “could not prevent it” but i also think a little more nuance, a little more conflict, is much better than Bad Man does Bad Scary Thing because he’s craaaaaaaazyyyy.

this has become a rambling mess but the POINT IS. there’s a little more going on then louis just letting jeff the killer into his house out of sheer dickmatization. there’s layers.

#i shoukd probably think of a tag for all my iwtv word vomit #iwtv #iwtv spoilers #iwtv speculation #iwtv meta #iwtv s2 #iwtv season 2 #louis de pointe du lac #armand #armand iwtv #loumand #claudia iwtv #claudia de pointe du lac #interview with the vampire

[nalyra-dreaming]

Pre season 2 rant - heavy on sarcasm!

This is the... well by now somewhat meditated on rant I promised a while ago. It has a lot of cussing, so be warned.

It is a… summary comment about some views I‘ve seen around, from “bad writing“ to the “abuse“ and other things. Oh, and it's about the "lying" subject. With receipts!

I‘m getting this out of my system before season 2 hits, and before more of the press leading up to it is released, because cast, crew and writers as well as the show have given us all of it already and, tbh, if I‘m going to see anyone scream “bad writing“ or “Louis being made a liar or the memories revisited/changed is racism“ when the changes will hit I‘m just gonna block you.

Fair warning.

This is long… so under the cut.

This show has made color-conscious choices. Brilliantly so. They also have an astonishing meta level.

And what we saw was not the truth.

That much is clear now. HAS ACTUALLY BEEN CLEAR FROM THE END OF SEASON 1 ON.

Jacob has said at the TCA panel that Louis is trying to regain his true memories.

Here is a reminder of some key statements by cast and crew:

Here are interviews and statements by Assad and Jacob and Sam and Rolin and the writers & producers that what we have seen was not the (whole) truth, that Louis’ tale has been “tinkered” with, influenced.

I'm heroically refraining from adding the gifs of Rolin and his statement again. Which are from the episode insider… and remember when that aired?! Yeah… 😒

But I've seen things recently that make me want to pull my hair out, to be frank. For example this, behind the link:

...Like, not making him a whole flat ass liar is actually the point, guys. And no it does not undermine the story....

As the writers said:

I mean, I get it to an extent. It's becoming clearer and clearer that the show some people made up in their heads is not the one they'll be getting. (We've been trying to tell them, but hey.)

Yeah.... That.

Unfortunately @blackgirlasis has blocked me, (and I have returned the favor now that I noticed), we only discussed something recently, but I think the reason might have been after I posted that video, in which it is literally said that "not everything Louis says is a lie", which, given her statements here might speak for itself, especially this part of that statement:

"It is actually ACTIVELY harmful to perpetuate the idea that the Black characters aren't to be trusted with the narrative and that we need Lestat to come through with the honest accounting."

You know, I would actually agree! Which is also why I always emphasized that we did not get the WHOLE truth. I also kept more than hinting at the fact that Armand is, well Armand.

BUT - and here it gets interesting - why is JACOB's - a BLACK man's - statement discarded? Why do they do not want to hear it that Louis does, in fact, lie? And, just to be clear - I do not NEED Louis to lie, nor be proven a liar, and I think the show will do its damndest to explain via the "tinkering" that Armand did. They will give some of the blame to Armand.

But to flip one's shit over argumentation that the MAIN CHARACTER, a BLACK MAN has already stated... that is what I find interesting.

Like, why do you* (*generally spoken, not her especially) accuse people of racism over this, when HE has already said that Louis does, indeed, lie. Why is he not actually listened to? I don't get that. Why is agency taken away from a living, breathing person to give it to a fictional character? Why is his statement that "not all representation needs to be healthy representation" not kept in mind?

Louis is Louis. Louis being color-consciously handled didn't "change the character an awful lot".

JACOB said that. Here. Interestingly enough in a comment about the racial consideration the show does(!).

Louis is NOT a whole other character despite the changes, and the twists that will happen in season 2 were always set to come, as the friggin' video of BEFORE the show aired is proof of. They talked about all that. They know it didn't all happen as shown. They knew Louis did lie. But NOT about everything.

They also knew that some of the scenes did not happen (at least as shown). And now... "it’s clear that Louis is somebody hugely angry with a man he loved deeply and now presents them as a monster…" Also Jacob Anderson.

Presents. Them. As. A. Monster.

Bailey Bass said in the SDCC interview, that it is not clear who is the "villain here" in various scenes, interestingly enough, because the dynamic keeps changing. Which of course was after they shot a myriad of scenes that would not make it into the final s1 cut. Again: why is she not listened to? Why do you take her agency away to give it to a fictional character?

And I'm not even starting on the others. Sam. Rolin. The writers.

Also, re the abuse and scenes being revisited. Again, screenshot as example:

There is nothing simple about this show. Especially that scene.

BUT the show knows what it‘s doing! I'm not going to rehash all that here now, here are links on that.

AND THE WRITERS SAYING IT WILL BE REVISITED... is from December 21, 2022.

DECEMBER 22.

A revisit and a change of that scene will not be bad writing. (Or tasteless.) They already DID so in the last episode of season 1, continuing that will simply fall into line with what we have already been given. That's not bad writing. That's just the show, and there's people who just did not want to examine that.

Because it will be echoed, and it will serve a purpose.

I know the show did the meta level of patriarchal domestic abuse, but for fuck‘s sake, the story itself is about vampires struggling, and Louis is struggling.

The show has a meta level of abuse, and patriarchy, and recognizing is valid and the meta discussions are too.

But Louis is not chained to his coffin guys, he could have left, and a fight which shows off power discrepancies within the show story line is not automatically domestic abuse.

*slow clap*

No-one wants this to happen for the sake of "redeeming" Lestat. Because he does not need that redemption. They're all murderers and monsters.

They kill. For a living. LITERALLY.

THEY ARE VAMPIRES It's not about vampires trying to find their humanity.

It's about vampires trying to find a way to live with themselves, because they are, indeed, monsters.

Doubting the narrative which was TORN APART WITHIN THE SHOW is not the same as bad writing or racism FFS, nor is actually looking at what we're given - and knowing the fucking, 50 year old books. And recognizing the hints and parallels.

I have also seen the take that Lestat isolated Louis... and like, did we watch the same show? You know, even with the vampirism (which, of course™, could not free Louis as promised)...

Months of flirting openly in NOLA, public wooing. DECADES LIVING IN NOLA. Operas. Restaurants. Family dinners. (And Louis stopping Lestat there, AS a mortal...) Cleaning the cribs, years of "human entanglement" because Louis wanted it.... Banjo barbecues, political influence, wakes... Everybody knew.

(Like, I could pull up gifs here.)

"Isolation". Right. It has nothing, at all, to do with the Rite of Passage, or Louis' depression.

Of course not.

I mean, Jacob says that Louis is very depressed during the time leading up to the fight, and his and Sam's discussion here is interesting as well, but hey, I mean, why listen to the actual black actor, right.

As a last thing.

Yeah. Tell me you know nothing about the books without telling me you know nothing about the books.

And, as a note, context is important if you pull up other scenes from the VC.

Welcome to the fucking Vampire Chronicles.

Anyone expecting big bad patriarchal abuser Lestat is not going to have a good time.

And honestly, to those: don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Good riddance - and BON VOYAGE

#amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire #iwtv meta #vc meta #interview with the vampire meta #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #loustat #armand #loumand #videos #links #rant #the vampire chronicles #vc #vampire chronicles #I'm done

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 Ep3 Musings - Lesmand vs Loumand Parallels/Foreshadowing (Spoilers)

AMC, this is SINISTER writing. 👀

SINISTER, I say! 😈🔥

#interview with the vampire #iwtv season 2 spoilers #justice for claudia #the vampire armand #loumand #pyromaniac du lac #the hype is real #must see tv #iwtv tvc metas

[iwtvdramacd18]

Many others have pointed out the similarities between the tunnel and the church scene but I wanted to put some portions side by side. You can see Louis preemptively offering the question ("ask me for it") and going straight to inviting Armand in. And then Armand having to ask a question (though not one of true permission, we see earlier in the episode he can come and go as he pleases) and Louis leveling him with ofc. "Are you gonna kill me?" Which Armand doesn't answer, simply follows him into his apartment.

Both scenes also have Lestat and Armand revealing some level of vulnerability to Louis before his acceptance of his impending "death" (obv Armand does not kill Louis here, but I think this can easily be read as a threshold being passed in many aspects, fates being sealed (Claudia's especially.) etc. Which I would argue are deaths in motion). While it's Armand's reveal of his former relationship with Lestat and that he's been hurt in the past that's right before him and Louis kissing I think his question of those with the most power being often the weakest that's a better parallel here. Combined with how Armand recounted Lestat's destruction of his coven we have a lot of building up to "I could not prevent it" levels here, and more context for how power functions between Louis and Armand in Dubai.

#louis #armand #loumand #lestat #vampterview #meta #2.3 #there's also a ton to be said about how Louis reacts to the threat of being killed and his suicidality #and also how leading up to both scenes Louis either believes he is going through a psychotic episode (tho lestat is literally in his head) #or literally had one earlier. I want more eps to come in especially that table scene but I think we're gearing up for some more parallels #between Paul and Claudia as well. If only comparing what it means to be a younger sibling of Louis vs his daughter #iwtv spoilers

[hermit-frog]

this fantastic post by Dre/diasdelfuego got me thinking (i stole your screencap, hope you don't mind)

the way that art piece is reaching its tentacles from the depths of the penthouse towards the light pink tree, that in return is stretching its branches towards the light/escape? (circle/well imagery again, kill me), and Louis just sits there, cornered (in the back of his mind), observing or ignoring the scene. as he does.

season two:

#i work better with images than words. so this shit gets me more than quotes #catastrophically don't have time nor brain capacity to form this better rn (or ever lol). anyway got to go back to work #interview with the vampire #iwtv spoilers #loumand #iwtv meta #vampterview #Daniel some sort of mediator? #if someone has already made this pls drop me link #I'm ponting the obvious but still want to have this for later reference

[leslutdepointedulac]

Okay. I think enough time has passed. I'm ready to confront this.

I finished re-reading IWTV a few days ago now, and this paragraph fucked me up then, and continues to fuck me up now 🙃

Armand obviously knew what was going to happen. He knew that the theatre vampires were going to be coming for Claudia that very same night. He essentially warns Louis about what's to come.

"Louis, come with me tonight," he whispered suddenly, with an urgent inflection.

Armand is desperate to get Louis to go with him there and then, so that he doesn't get caught up in the theatre vampire's 'business', so to speak. It's got nothing to do with Louis, he doesn't need to be punished, as far as Armand's concerned.

When Louis rejects this, and says he can't go with him tonight, there's not really anything Armand can do, but to just accept that that's how it's going to be. He doesn't want Louis getting caught up in the situation, but he can't say anything more, unless he gives himself and his involvement away.

I watched him turn away and look at the dark night sky. He appeared to sigh, but I didn't hear it.

For only a moment I hesitated, mocked by the pounding of my heart.

It's as if, deep, deep down, Louis knows there's something wrong. He knows something's coming, and that whatever it is, it can't be any good. And I think he knows Armand has something to do with it.

But Louis' blinded by his love for Armand, and Armand's love for him. He's blinded by the possibilities Armand could give him, and any further knowledge he may have to share.

Louis doesn't want to face the truth. He's had one not so great experience in love before, and he's not willing to let that happen again, even if that just means being in denial about it. He so desperately wants to believe Armand has his best interests at heart, and that there's no possible chance that he could ever have any malicious intentions, let alone follow through with them.

He's clinging onto hope.

But ultimately, that delusional hope ends with Claudia dead, when Louis should've just listened to her warnings.

Of course, Louis isn't entirely responsible. Armand already had Louis, he didn't need to worry about Claudia anymore. Louis literally even says so himself. He tells Armand he already has him. And I know that's not the only reason for Claudia's death, there's so much more to it than that, but it was apart of it.

I think either way, Claudia was probably going to end up dead, but more could've been done to prevent it. But the blatently obvious warning signs were ignored, along with Armand's desperate need to have Louis.

#i talked about this on the gc when i was reading it #but i need to let it out here too #i was too sad about it at the time (i still am lbr) #but like i said i'm ready to traumatise myself with it again now 🙃 #i love louis/armand but goddamn #does this section fuck me up #louis de pointe du lac #armand #claudia #loumand #interview with the vampire #iwtv #vampire chronicles #tvc #vc meta #my vampire chronicles

[showmey0urfangs]

Louis and Armand

I've noticed something about scenes of Louis and Armand:

In many of their scenes together, they often have Armand standing over Louis. It is especially significant because before the Armand reveal, Rashid is supposed to be Louis's servant, so his domineering position would be considered odd given his station.

Armand also puts his hand on Louis's shoulder when Louis is upset, in what could be seen as a comforting gesture but also as a means to restrain him.

He is often shown looking down at Louis or Louis is looking up at him like in the scene from the 70s flashback. Louis's deference is further emphasized by the dialogue because in this scene Louis is asking for his approval/permission to take Daniel home. It's subtle, but it's definitely hinted at that Armand has the final say on what happens. The way he responds with - “Go ahead, have your fun” sounds like a parent allowing their kid to go play outside with their friends.

Even in the scene when Louis says Armand is the love of his life, Armand is standing over him despite the two being of similar height. Armand is standing one step above him, which lets me think it was a conscious decision by the showrunners to have him towering over Louis.

I'm not one of the — Armand has Louis trapped in a tower and has brainwashed him— believers, but I agree that the show used this framing as a visual representation of their relationship dynamic—Armand plays the servant but really he is the one in charge, and for all of Louis's grandstanding and intimidation tactics, he is not as powerful or as in control as he tries to have Daniel/the audience think.

But rather than this pointing to Armand being a controlling jailer, my theory is that what Armand says in episode 7 is true—that Louis is so far gone that he is no longer capable or willing to take care of himself so Armand had to step in to make sure that Louis feeds, gets enough rest and doesn't do stupid self-destructive shit like yeeting himself in the midday sun.

It makes their "love" story even more tragic imo because Armand is putting in all this effort to care for a man who ultimately doesn't love him and is still pinning over his toxic ex, which is very typical Armand behaviour really. The guy is the king of unrequited love and century-long pinning.

Anyways, thank you for coming to my ted-talk let me know what your theories are in the reblogs/comments.

#iwtv meta #the vampire armand #louis de pointe du lac #armand #loumand #interview with the vampire #iwtv

[captainsaltymuyfancy2]

It’s been said several times by cast and crew that there is a kind of synchronization between Louis and armand as a result of time spent together, but there’s also a lot of performance going on in front of Daniel, and it’s difficult at the moment to tell where the two diverge. Perhaps they’re deeply intertwined: repetitive performing of their relationship has made them synchronized, and/or their synchronization has made them meld together in such a way that they feel forced to perform a “normal” relationship in order to make sense of it. Regardless, I think the synchronization they currently share is not the mark of a healthy relationship, and is actually a symptom (or even a driver) of their problems. They’re synchronized in a superficial way, not in a functional way. They seem to overcome this when they reunite in the books, which I assume will happen in the show as well since “they’re doing the books”. It will be interesting to see how their dynamic changes then.

#my iwtv #iwtv meta #iwtv spoilers #iwtv speculation #loumand #loumand meta

[paintaboveyourbones]

Woke up this morning thinking about how every depiction of Lestat we’ve ever gotten has been a full grown man, while in canon Lestat is forever a 20 year old bb! Bb! One step away from teenager bb!! So technically he should be looking something more like

Which is a delightful image to keep in mind for a variety of reasons - such as imagining this baby faced motherfucker not this actor specifically, just your mental image of a 20 yo engaging in his usual ass clownery, or thinking of what he must have looked like in his MTV days, new vampires coming to court and seeing THIS eternally youthful face and realizing the true horror of what they are, or why it’s so startling when he shows up to conduct business and THIS is who walks through the door.

I mean - do people ever look at Lestat and wonder if he’s a trust fund baby? One does wonder!

Keeping in mind that while Lestat is technically older Louis was 25 when he was turned. You know Lestat is annoying as hell about this sometimes

“Ah Louis, look at all the people looking at us on our date. They must be imaging what it’s like to rob the cradle such as you have. They’re wondering how such an old man scored such an innocent young thing such as myself.” Meanwhile Louis is using google maps under the table to find a new place to dump the body

I also can’t help but wonder if this isn’t why, in every novel in the series, Lestat goes out of his way to talk about how YOUNG Armand looks. Like good sir, there was barely a 3 year age gap between your ages when you were made. There was physically a gap of 7 years between him and Louis and even HE doesn’t harp on it this much. It makes me wonder if Lestat isn’t secretly sensitive about how young he looks and is projecting a bit?

#loustat #tvc #iwtv #lestat #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #samstat #tomstat #vc meta #loumand #lesmand

[moondustinfj]

WAIT wasn't RASHID the name of a vampire in the vampire chronicles??

Let me just-

GUYS??

#real rashid #RASHID MY GUYYY WHO ARE YOUU #interview with the vampire #iwtv meta #the vampire armand #louis de pointe du lac #daniel molloy #lestat de lioncourt #loumand #loustat #devils minion #anne rice #tvc #the vampire chronicles #amc iwtv #amc interview with the vampire

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV S2 - ANOTHER commercial teaser!? Analysis & EP5 Theories

Lord, I have places to be in the morning, but AMC thinks it's cute to release multiple teasers in a day. 😭

This is a SPICY one for Louis, too! 👀

We start with the familiar "Me n' you; you n' me" from Louis, but we see a teensy bit more of his fallout with Claudia:

Claudia's head is being pushed down into something as she screams.

And thanks to the teaser we got earlier today, we can assume Lou's in the burlap sack the (the night the Theatre jumps him, Claud & Madz).

They jump from Claudia yelling at Louis, to Louis yelling "YOU left ME!" I NEED to know who Louis is talking to--it's a hard cut from Claudia to Louis, but I bet he's talking to someone else.

Cuz of the cut to Armand looking concerned as he calls Lou's name (Merrick?), now I'm thinking about the books, where we know Armand left Louis (in IWTV) for Daniel (in QotD). So is that a Loumand argument? 👀 Cuz I'm telling y'all, I don't trust them in Dubai, and the goat Carol Cutshall already threw shade their way, with the "so-called love of his life" line. I'm side-eying them HEAVY.

And good grief, poor Louis' going THROUGH IT in his dark room.

But the REAL reason I'm posting all this is cuz of this juicy morsel:

😳 LOUSTAT KISSING IN EPISODE 5 FOOTAGE. 😳

AMC, what in heaven's name is HAPPENING!?

Neither Louis nor Lestat are injured here, so does this clip happen:

1) In 1931, right before Claudia came home?

2) Or even earlier, back in 1923, when Loustat was arguing about Claudia's "hunger strike"? Cuz we know Louis wore the same blue sweater TWICE in Ep5.

3) OR, this is legit from the Ep5 fight, while they were upstairs, during the parts we didn't see while they were in the coffin/bedroom?

Was it "over" cuz Louis was desperately tryna kiss and make up? Did it not work, cuz Lestat knew/convinced himself that Lou was playing him--"maybe it's the gin, my love"? Cuz Les is the one to push Louis through the wall.

I dunno, I need sleep. 😫

[EDIT] I'm dead wrong (and blind).

Thank you so much @loustat-0 -- yup, I just saw @squirrellypoo's post explaining that you have to really crank up the lighting to be able to tell that this is Louis' jean jacket from Hallucination!Lestat we've seen in 1000 other trailers, NOT the blue sweater from EP5.

Thank GOD, cuz I went to bed just DREADING what people would start saying about Ep5. 🤦

#interview with the vampire #louis de pointe du lac #justice for claudia #loustat #loumand #iwtv tvc metas #the hype is real #videos

[nalyra-dreaming]

Have you seen that, in the scene with Armand, Louis makes an instinctive gesture like he was expecting that someone would light his cigarette? But Lestat is not there and he has to light it himself. I saw the gif on Twitter

I have, and I have seen lots of metas/opinions about it as well :)

I love the detail, this show is so good with details, and this is no exception, of course.

That little hesitation says a LOT about Louis' time with Lestat, and their interactions. I mean, Louis only told us about a few times it happened, but he expects it to happen there subconsciously, and that in and by itself speaks volumes.

At least in "flirt mode" he expected someone else to reach out and light his cigarette, and Armand refusing to (who is reading Louis' mind after all, and I'm quite sure we'll see that he has seen a vision of Lestat in Louis' mind if the BTS photos are any indication) carries of course a lot of weight of its own.

For one, Armand is not trying to come on too strong, because in a way he is trying to be all the things Louis did not like about Lestat, and this is a mostly harmless, but clear line in the sand he can draw. Then there's also a racial aspect I'd argue, with Armand letting Louis do this for himself if he wants to, not controlling - which clashes immediately with of Armand's way of controlling people... he probably wants Louis to ask for it.

It is a truly fascinating little detail to include, and I LOVE that they did.

The time with Armand will be refreshing for Louis, and addictive in its own right. It will burn bright for him... but it is a fire he has to light himself, because from Armand's side, at first at least, it is not where the attention comes from. The lighting of his own cigarette is a good metaphor for this, right? :)

Of course Armand falls for him as well (luckily), but it will end in disaster (in Paris).

Ending in literal ashes, the fire snubbed out.

Yes, I really like the little detail :)))

#Anonymous #asks #ask nalyra #amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire #iwtv meta #vc meta #interview with the vampire meta #louis de pointe du lac #armand #loumand #cigarette

[firegiftlouis]

Why do people think Armand is floating here? We clearly see him floating down after throwing the book at Daniel’s feet, and we even hear his footsteps right before he grabs Louis’ hand here:

I think Louis is standing one step below him (if they didn’t position them differently for this particular shot on even ground), but otherwise Armand isn’t floating anymore.

#armand #louis de pointe du lac #the vampire armand #loumand #meta #ish #he’s not floating he’s just tall 😂 #he’s the 6ft Lestat wishes he was 😌 #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire #amc iwtv #iwtv

[showmey0urfangs]

A reframing of 𝕃𝕠𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕕

I know, I know — Loustat is endgame, Lestat is Louis's OTP etc. BUT hear me out; I hate that Loumand shippers often get laughed at and ridiculed for even considering it when imo it is a great ship and Louis wasn't lying when he said Armand is the love of his life. Here's why;

If we take the book canon out of the equation for a second and solely look at the timeline of the show, Loustat started dating in the fall of 1910, got married in May 1911 and Lestat died in February of 1940. Their entire relationship lasted about 30 years on and off.

If we contrast this with 𝕃𝕠𝕦𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕕, we can assume Louis meets Armand in 1945, and they are still together in present-day 2022. That's 77 years and counting.

Now, I know the duration of a relationship should not be the only consideration here, but also the quality of said relationship. So again if we contrast the two — Loustat was 30 years of misery, cheating, and emotional and physical abuse that was intercut with brief periods of happiness and ended with Louis slitting Lestat's throat to save himself and his daughter from the tyranny that they were living under.

Loumand on the other hand seems to be a more peaceful, albeit boring, relationship. Armand takes care of Louis and is very protective of him.

Yes, there is a possessive edge to it, but from what we have seen so far, it is nowhere near as unhinged as it was with Lestat. It also seems to be consensual, like Louis willingly cedes over control to Armand and defers to him to make decisions.

They have better communication, are more respectful to each other, and even consult each other before sleeping with other people as evidenced by the 70s flashback with Daniel Molloy. That's a complete departure from Lestat's decades-long cheating and lying.

Loumand may arguably lack the heated passion that Loustat had, but Armand seems to be a genuinely loving and devoted partner (again, I am solely going off of what we see on the show and not taking into account later book canon).

It's also important to note that in 2022, Louis is probably operating under the belief that Lestat is either dead or gone forever depending on whose narrative you believe, TVL or IWTV. They are not just on a 6-year break like they were after the fight — as far as Louis knows, they are done, over, finito!

From present-day Louis's perspective, Lestat is the toxic ex he had more than 70 years ago, and who he still has mixed feelings about. Armand is his current partner, he is the person who loved him enough to stay through thick and thin, and who “cares for Louis more than he cares for himself ”

So yes, Armand is the love of his life! until Lestat shows up again.

#i have officially become loumand's defence attorney #loumand #loustat #louis de pointe du lac #armand #lestat de lioncourt #iwtv #interview with the vampire #iwtv meta