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[alwaysless]

white raven yapping

I don’t really like how Annabel and Lenore keep discussing the same thing over and over again in the flashbacks and their whole chemistry feels like Lenore says something teasing and Annabel blushes — but to be honest the first flashback in the season looked like that too.

Annabel does the same thing in the first season. Lenore asks serious questions, gets indignant and bewildered, while Annabel bats her eyelashes and flirts. Shit, sometimes she just ignores the question and changes the subject!

And this is it, this is the mirroring of their behavior that we’ve been talking about all along!! They switch places; they copy each other’s attitude. Annabel being a coquette? She picked it up from Leo. She remembers her woman like that.

Thats where things become, how shall I put this? somewhat one‑sided.

In the first season whenever Annabel did something unacceptable the narrative actively showed she was in the wrong. Lenore blames her, Lenore is angry with her; Lenore has an internal monologue in which she disagrees with Annabel and suffers because of her actions. And since Lenore is the main character from whose perspective the story is told we empathize with her, we share her feelings. When she feels betrayed by Annabel, we also feel betrayed.

Lifetime events should invert their dynamic showing Lenore was also in the wrong once and Annabel had the right to be angry with her. Kinda. The thing is that the flashbacks are also presented from Lenore’s perspective. The focus is on her feelings and actions; its implied she is seeing these memories while in a coma. Therefore Annabel doesn’t have an internal monologue where she would question fake engagement plan. Lenore is still at the center of the attention and when she is careless about Annabel’s feelings, it seems as if the story itself doesn’t take Annabel seriously either.

Lenore’s behavior makes sense. She spent three years rotting alive in the attic and it doesn’t bother her at all that she risks ending up in prison or an institution. She also believes that Annabel’s worry about such things is just whims and worldly concerns. But those are not! Annabel’s questions make sense as well; she has reason to be worried about this plan. Because there is no plan! There’s just an idea! Lenore always has ideas and no plans. That’s her thing.

In Nevermore, Lenore is trying to have it both ways, wanting to save both her friends and her beloved. In life it’s the same with Annabel — of course she longs for freedom but she also longs for safety and confidence in the future. In both cases each of them can offer the other only one thing. And yet the story seems unbalanced as it doesn’t pay enough attention to Annabel’s perspective.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there was no blackmail or trick and Annabel gave in and called the cops to the wedding simply because she was tired of the uncertainty and decided it wasn’t worth it. This could well be seen as the consequences of Lenore’s mistakes, the absence of which we are complaining about. I still don’t understand why she waited until the last moment though. Yet even the wedding flashbacks look as if Annabel had done something inexplicably terrible although in that case it’s just a result of Lenore not giving her what she asked for — a guarantee.

[osifrage]

willtresor sketch

[daily-eulabee]

EP 103

their chibis are so cute im getting cuteness aggression

[lunaticneuroticself]

Hello dear strangers

So I was going to finish this but now I’m stuck regardless of the latter here’s some Cupid au

It’s been a while since I have both drawn and made au art so I’m a bit rusty

@lulu19107221 for being the inspiration for Lenore’s robe

[neverswungonswingingstars]

Heart eyes then, heart eyes now

[hikarielizabethbloom]

I still can't believe that Armand unconsciously invited his crush, who is a fucking good journalist, to interview him and his current husband about their story and relationship, which was built on a mountain of lies, with the sole purpose of let him wreck his own life because he kept feeling a void in his soul that apparently could only be partially filled by said journalist, former victim and greatest love of his life.

[jayktoralldaylong]

The real comedy is both Louis and Armand playing gay chicken, but they’re both gay and yet miserable so they needed to call in Daniel to blow up their relationship.

They were probably actually trying to get Lestat to do it by ragebaiting him with the book, but Daniel did it faster, much to Louis’ surprise. Because now the book existed and Lestat got ragebaited anyway.

[roiidart]

to be or not to be

[suddenly-frankenstein]

let's be evil with papa!

[jayktoralldaylong]

I wish we had more time to explore Nicki, because so many people don’t know about Nicki. I also love how Lestat’s trauma can’t be centered or focused on one person like Armand who had most of his problems originate from Marius.

Nicki was a huge contribution to the way that Lestat is and that’s because Nicki had vicious insecurity issues and ended up in a partnership with the biggest diva vampire Paris has ever known.

Just before Magnus kidnapped Lestat you see them fighting, before Lestat even became a vampire. Because Nicki was angry, angry that success chased Lestat like he was a beacon for gold. In comparison, he felt dull, weak, useless. That was part of the reason for his fracturing. Armand recognized it at once and widened that hole just by existing.

Because it didn’t matter if Lestat told Nicki that there was nothing going on between him and Armand, Nicki would never believe him.

I wish we’d explored the ways in which Nicki was toxic, not because he was malicious, but because he let his depression consume him in ways that were selfish and perhaps self centered. Lestat would always choose him but Nicki couldn’t see why. That was the problem.

So every time that Lestat thought he was losing Louis he would desperately cling to him. He chased him in the church, made a daughter even though he knew better, lost his temper when he thought that Louis was leaving. Constantly living on a maddening edge because he’d played this game before…..and he lost.

[savagewilderness]

Somewhat confused reply, haha! But here goes.

The thing is this is actually book-Nicki's biggest fear - that his darkness infected Lestat… but you know what book Nicki did? Tried his very best to keep his darkness inside.

When Lestat had crises, Nicki held him and told him it would pass. He didn't say, I know - it's unbearable. I feel it every second of every day. No, he played the violin. He held Lestat. He soothed him. He pulled him away from the things that dragged him down.

OK, but let's move on to TV Nicolas. We can't say this about TV Nicki, because we saw none of their mortal relationship. That one argument, we see them in the distance, with no words for mere seconds. Joe said what they spoke was about Nicki's envy of Lestat's star rising while Nicki's at best remained the same, or fell… but that's ALL we have.

The show showed NO mortal Lestat and Nicki in a relationship. We saw their first meeting. We did see glimpses of sex, but they were only fragments, in silhouette - not a relationship.

After their first meeting, their next scene where they speak Nicolas is still mortal but Lestat is already a vampire. So there is little we can say about how mortal Nicolas was when Lestat was mortal, really for his TV self.

"I wish we’d explored the ways in which Nicki was toxic, not because he was malicious, but because he let his depression consume him in ways that were selfish and perhaps self centered. Lestat would always choose him but Nicki couldn’t see why. That was the problem."

"Let his depression consume him." -- did he? I don't think we can even say we saw that mortal Nicolas on TV was depressed? Did we see enough of him to see that? He is depressed in the book, of course! But on TV...?

But "he let it consume him in ways that were selfish and perhaps self centred"?! Wow... I'd say - so self-centred to not put your depression in a little box except that that is LITERALLY what book Nicki attempts to do, the vast majority of the time... and TV Nicolas, we didn't see this depression - not until he was already living in a world in which all rules and truths had been pulled from under him, since Lestat is a vampire, but Nicolas can only understand he vanished for a time, is changed, lies, and still vanishes every single day... oh, and his mother is like him all of a sudden, too.

"Lestat would always choose him but Nicki couldn’t see why. That was the problem."

Would he?

Because not turning Nicolas is a choice.

Lying to Nicolas is a choice.

Not trusting Nicolas with the truth is a choice.

Allowing Nicolas to watch his life become incomprehensible while refusing to explain it is a choice.

And those choices may be understandable. They may even be motivated by love. But love does not make a choice non-harmful.

Lestat doesn't always choose Nicolas. That's the point. He chooses for Nicolas, rather than actually choosing Nicolas. Is he trusting Nicolas? Is he protecting Nicolas? Because what happens is Lestat withholds, and Nicolas' mind becomes increasingly fractured even before he is a vampire, largely due to Lestat, who supposedly loves him, lying to him.

Book Lestat stays away from Nicolas as he is frightened he'll kill him. But TV Lestat doesn't even do that. So TV Lestat only wants to keep Nicki mortal? Why? He must see that the lies are breaking Nicki's mind? He doesn't have the same reasoning as book-Lestat, because he is seemingly fine with being close to Nicolas and doesn't feel the desire to harm him. So then - why keep Nicolas mortal?

I think book-Lestat partly needs Nicki to remain mortal, as Lestat's human life has been stolen from him by force and he cannot get it back. Nicolas is the last true connection to his own human life, Lestat has. It is an understandable need - to preserve his own humanity in Nicolas. But it is something Lestat needs for himself. That particular reason for Lestat keeping Nicki mortal is nothing to do with Nicolas' wellbeing either way.

In terms of TV Lestat, I would say we have not seen enough of him to ascertain the details of why he keeps Nicki mortal.

And yeah... being a vampire breaks Nicolas... but he would at least have had 0.0000000000001% more of a chance if his mind hadn't already been so far broken before he was turned.

"it didn’t matter if Lestat told Nicki that there was nothing going on between him and Armand, Nicki would never believe him"

Well I wonder why - considering Lestat is literally lying about everything by this point! Also... Lestat is at the very least sharing blood with Armand, so something literally is going on... But even if it wasn't - Lestat literally is lying, so whatever is happening, what can Nicki believe!!?! Is it actually insecurity and jealousy, or just a very natural inability to know if you can believe in anything at all when some huge things are objectively lies?

This is not to say Nicolas didn't hurt Lestat. Oh he did. But it's to say that Lestat hurt Nicolas deeply too. It wasn't just Nicki creating trauma in Lestat, but Lestat creating trauma in Nicolas... that was part of his ending in death! Not saying anyone is to blame. They are not.

But I also think... I don't know... it confuses me when any character is looked at in terms of the trauma they cause in another character without also looking at what is happening in the other direction.

Could Nicki be toxic? Well, words are Nicki's weapons, so you BET he can hurt with his words. Was Lestat toxic? I'd say lying to someone you love, not trusting them, seeing you are driving them to a darker place than they are already in... I would call that toxic, too...

I mean... I wish there was more Nicolas, absolutely. But I think TV Lestat got more than enough extra trauma compared to his book-self. I am not interested in more story only to heap even more trauma onto Lestat, make his life even more only what was done unto him. I want to know the fullness of who Lestat is, and the fullness of who everyone he ever loved is - as individuals. And yes - how they love each other, and harm each other, too!

But not toxic Nicki hurt Lestat and so he repeats that with Louis. If anything it is LITERALLY the opposite. Who ever loved Lestat - I mean really loved him before Louis? Gabriella - that certainly was NOT love. I don't think anyone loved Lestat as a child... When Lestat and Nicolas meet in Paris, Lestat has not known love.

Nicolas is important because although yes - they both hurt each other - and a lot of the hurt came as they tried to love each other - BUT they also truly loved each other.

Nicolas is important as he truly loved Lestat, and from being loved, Lestat learned how to love, and could one day then love Louis.

How did they hurt each other?

Book-selves now, as there just isn't enough to be sure that this holds on TV:

Well I personally think that Nicki and Lestat are both intense, and both have strong moral stances, which is why their conversation was so electric.

But in love, Nicolas, I think needs to be known down to his core - down to every dark corner. He makes it impossible for himself to be loved this way as it is, by withholding the parts of himself he is frightened Lestat cannot bear. But he tries to see the all of Lestat, and he does.

Later in life, as a vampire, Lestat says that even though everyone loves him, no one will allow him to just be broken. They always know he will endure, and so they brush off the idea that he could be broken.

But with Nicolas, Lestat was broken. It is Lestat who has existential crises in the early days of their relationship, not Nicki. It is Nicki that gets him through them, keeps him away from existential danger, and makes money initially enough they can survive in Paris.

But Lestat needs to feel he is good, in the end. He needs someone to look at him and say - yes - all you are is goodness. He needs salvation. I think Nicki's love can hurt Lestat, as he sees the parts of Lestat Lestat doesn't always want to accept he is.

And conversely, Lestat, I think, gives the kind of love he would want to Nicolas - a saving, salvation, deep love. But he raises Nicolas up, almost onto a pedestal. He loves Nicolas the artist, Nicolas the ideal. It is true. But I think it harms Nicolas, as for him - if Lestat does not see the all of him, then to Nicki, Lestat's love cannot be true at all - because what Lestat loves isn't really himself.

But Louis is different. He doesn't need to be fully witnessed like Nicki does. And he doesn't need to be saved by love like Lestat does. Louis' love is accepting and empathetic, and oh YEAH he takes vampire lifetimes to actually get around to it... but when he gets there, it's steady, and less demanding... I think.

I've strayed so far from the point.

The point, which was - God, I wish there was more Nicolas - yes! But absolutely NOT to explore how much more trauma toxic Nicki inflicted upon Lestat!!! 😭💀. Rather to understand how love can be real, and can still end tragically. Love can be real on both sides, and still people can hurt each other.

Love can end terribly, but from it, long into the future, the foundations it lay can mean - in this case - Lestat is capable of loving again.

I dunno what I wrote, but I'm gonna post it anyway. I feel like I am setting myself on fire with this random ramble!!!!!

[jayktoralldaylong]

Loved the random ramble by the way. But all this and more is the reason I wish we had more Nicki and more Lesmand. I feel like we’re missing important pieces of Lestat’s story by not showing those complicated moments. They of course can’t possibly fit everything in the show but I wish we had more.

Not to bash the series at all, what we did get is pretty good. But all this and more is insight that a book reader has. We barely know anything about Nicki in the show.

I don’t know Nicki outside of Lestat, and you clearly know him very deeply. Most of us will never know Nicki.

[jayktoralldaylong]

I wish we had more time to explore Nicki, because so many people don’t know about Nicki. I also love how Lestat’s trauma can’t be centered or focused on one person like Armand who had most of his problems originate from Marius.

Nicki was a huge contribution to the way that Lestat is and that’s because Nicki had vicious insecurity issues and ended up in a partnership with the biggest diva vampire Paris has ever known.

Just before Magnus kidnapped Lestat you see them fighting, before Lestat even became a vampire. Because Nicki was angry, angry that success chased Lestat like he was a beacon for gold. In comparison, he felt dull, weak, useless. That was part of the reason for his fracturing. Armand recognized it at once and widened that hole just by existing.

Because it didn’t matter if Lestat told Nicki that there was nothing going on between him and Armand, Nicki would never believe him.

I wish we’d explored the ways in which Nicki was toxic, not because he was malicious, but because he let his depression consume him in ways that were selfish and perhaps self centered. Lestat would always choose him but Nicki couldn’t see why. That was the problem.

So every time that Lestat thought he was losing Louis he would desperately cling to him. He chased him in the church, made a daughter even though he knew better, lost his temper when he thought that Louis was leaving. Constantly living on a maddening edge because he’d played this game before…..and he lost.

[thelongingknight]

When they try to portray Armand as unloved and Loumand as lacking in love they are lying to your face. Louis loved Armand. He loved him. Madeleine is his gd fledgling and she could feel it through him. No, it’s not love for fuckass Leshart. If it was, Louis would have been defensive as hell and we all know it. Louis fell in romantic love with Armand, and I don’t ship them and I never want to see them back together but their relationship spanned almost 80 fucking years and it was important to both of them. Being with Armand gave Louis a feeling of power, which isn’t great for Armand, but that submissiveness that Armand showed him is something Louis desperately needed. After being with Leshat for 30 horrible years, being coerced into accepting the dark gift, being gaslit and lied to and cheated on and beaten almost to death and dropped from the sky and then being cheated on again and lied to again and gaslit again and verbally abused again- yeah, he needed to feel strong and in charge. In so many ways, whether the Leshat boy moms like it or not, being with Armand gave Louis some of his gd agency back. Yes, we all know Armand has his manipulative side, that he told two gargantuan lies, that he suppressed memories to hide things - but he also loved Louis and was jealous af over Leshat and jealous over Daniel in SF like, how can anyone seriously think they didn’t love each other? They were very VERY attracted to each other romantically and physically. So in love with each other in fact, that not only did Louis disregard what Claudia told him about Armand threatening her, but Armand also missed the plotting around him because his dumb ass was so high on love for Louis that he didn’t read the minds of his fucking coven and bust their asses before they could form a coup against him. And no, I don’t buy that bullshit about finding “aesthetic pleasure” from planning the betrayal. My asscheeks he found pleasure in it. He was torn and he KNEW his coven had every gd right to dethrone him. He’s a hypocrite and Louis is arrogant and didn’t think the rules needed to apply to him and they both paid the price. And no, Louis wasn’t trapped or held prisoner in that damn minimalist-style nightmare penthouse alone. Both Louis and Armand trapped themselves there and took it out on each other. They do not EVER have any business trying again, but spare me with that “Louis never loved Armand” and “Armand is undesirable” fucking pile of mierda.

[hollowwaveremnant]

This. Thank you. Please miss me with that "aesthetic pleasure" nonsense. You could see the regret in Armand's eyes when the Coven came out to kidnap Claudia, Louis and Madeleine. These writers are fucking shit and have character assassinated everyone and everything.

[jayktoralldaylong]

Why are you agreeing with this post then suddenly blaming the writing. 😅 When it is obvious even in the writing that they did hold affection for each other. Why would Armand go out of his way to isolate and torture Louis if he didn’t ever care? 😅

Care did exist at some point, a poisonous volatile thing perhaps, but it tried to flower and it almost did bloom.

[orchidblum]

Sweet dreams

[whooshsoohw]

Feel like Armand would be so offended and hurt by not having a place at Lestat’s long table if he knew. Like, “You fear the judgment of every random person you’ve ever met, however briefly, but not mine? Wow, you don’t respect me or care about me one bit, huh. And to think you were one of the three people I specifically chose to apologize to for my sins in my healing journey”. The whole situation is very 'Fool. I have loved you more than any being in all the world whom I’ve ever loved. And you have never given me your love. Your eyes pass over me as if I don’t exist. And so they always have.'” coded to me.

[jayktoralldaylong]

It’s giving “A century I waited….. but you did not want me.” 💔

[whooshsoohw]

Feel like Armand would be so offended and hurt by not having a place at Lestat’s long table if he knew. Like, “You fear the judgment of every random person you’ve ever met, however briefly, but not mine? Wow, you don’t respect me or care about me one bit, huh. And to think you were one of the three people I specifically chose to apologize to for my sins in my healing journey”. The whole situation is very 'Fool. I have loved you more than any being in all the world whom I’ve ever loved. And you have never given me your love. Your eyes pass over me as if I don’t exist. And so they always have.'” coded to me.

[neverswungonswingingstars]

Love it when a plan comes together

[nightninjaboy]

Big Guy

[fandiagnosis]

[jayktoralldaylong]

“Why did you leave me?”

And he didn’t even realize there was a time when he was three years old, when his mother watched him play at the beach and hoped that the waves would take him away. That she actually started walking back home. That she only turned around because he was the most amusing of her children. He didn’t even realize that she left.

“You were a terrible mother.”

And she says nothing to dispute that fact, her eyes showing no regret. Because she cannot fail at a job she never wanted right? And they were all….rape babies after all.

(Gabrielle they can never make me form a solid opinion about you. But I despise your guts).