i think if/when armand turns bestie he might lean into the more āparentalā aspects of being someoneās maker a little. he already likes telling her what to do to an extent, and heād feel a strong sense of responsibility over her.
so, yes, armand is going to pull the āi am your makerā card when he needs to. sometimes it works and sometimes it makes bestie dig her heels in even further. no one point out that armandās tone and attitude feel similar to āiām your fatherā because bestie will start an argument š
armand kidnapping bestie is so funny because heād get away with it without having to do anything evil or too unhinged.
bestie: i might have to leave in a day or two.
armand, lowkey already heartbroken: i thought we were having fun š„ŗ
bestie: we are! but my momās birthday is next week and she said she missed me so iām thinking about surprising her. you can come, too, if you want.
Okay so youāre saying this is how Armand looks at bestie in any context
YES š Heās staring at her like that constantly. Bestieās in her own world watching a tv show, reading, or painting, and Armandās a few feet away like ā«ļø_ā«ļø (the circles are black bc his pupils are dilated <3).
i know armand loves bestie in a very genuine way but he still sometimes ends up moving like joe goldberg when he canāt be with her. itās different when armand does it because heās pure of heart and spirit š„°
Good evening! I love the Bestie verse you've come up with so far! Lately I've been developing a vampire OC of my own for this universe and I want her to interact with Armand. Not in a romantic context, but in a platonic one.
The problem is, I'm having trouble getting into Armand's head and determining how they would interact. I'm not even sure yet how they would meet.
As someone who has extensively written about him, what are some tips and tricks to developing Armand's character and relationships with others that you'd want to share with other writers?
Thank you and bless you!
Hi!! This is such a fun question, I've never thought of myself as a potential source of information on Armand characterization lol. I also love sharing info with writers :)
This is more of a general piece of writing advice that's just particularly relevant when you're discussing a character like Armand, but it's important to keep in mind the differences between what he's exuding outwards and what he's feeling inwards.
People, fictional or otherwise, often have internal motivations and desires that don't align with what they're trying to project. A kid who wants to be liked by their popular classmates feels desperate on the inside but they try to exude confidence, an employee who hates their boss might kiss up to them because they want to be considered for a promotion, etc.
Armand takes this a step further. On the inside, he's much more vulnerable to the opinions and actions of others than he wants to be. So on the inside, he might care about what the person he's interacting with thinks of him, but on the outside, he'll continue to behave in a way that makes him seem detached.
So when I write Armand, I like to stop and think about what he might be thinking/feeling about the person that he's interacting with, and about what he wants them to think/feel about him. Sometimes these two things are completely at odds with each other.
There's a popular debate around Armand's character that's about whether or not he actually does see himself as the vulnerable party or if he only pretends to be to justify his actions. Louis described Armand as looking like "a boy masquerading as a gentleman".
When assessing Armand as a character, I think a lot of people are trying to figure out which part of Armand is the āreal oneā. The victim or the perpetrator, the boy or the gentleman, the good nurse or the gremlin. I see Armand as being both at the same time.
The hurt, vulnerable part of him is always working away inside of him in the same way the more violent, destructive part of him is. When writing Armand, I think it's important to keep this in mind because both parts of him are impacting his choices and how he interacts with others.
I really hope that makes sense š If you're looking for more general Armand characteristics/personality traits, I have a few of those too :)
I think it's important to keep in mind that Armand's intensity and strangeness can present itself in ways that aren't dark. This is basically my way of saying that I like when people leave in Armand's 'weirdness'.
He's interested in a lot of things, and depending on the situation he and those around him are in, these interests might come up.
His gaze might keep shifting onto some kitchen appliance if he's in someone's house, he might reference a science fiction movie if he's talking to someone he's comfortable with, he might point out a subtle thing the person he's interacting with does all the time that no one else would have noticed.
I don't know the context of your story, but Armand also takes some time to openly warm up to someone. There are some exceptions, but generally, Armand is very likely to decide that he likes someone well enough before deciding to let them know it.
He won't be openly friendly the second he starts liking someone because he doesn't like making himself vulnerable. He takes his time softening himself.
I hope this is helpful!! Good luck with your writing! If you'd ever like to ask me anything else related to writing, please feel free to reach out again :))
i was trying to think of some other things that might turn on armand when theyāre specifically related to bestie and i realized that itās probably everything. he wants that cookie so bad bestie just has to breathe a certain way for him to start staring at her with big, needy eyes.
armand occasionally finding himself being objectively more patient and kind to others when bestieās around. sometimes itās because he knows sheās there, but there are also times where these actions feel so genuine. he realizes that heās slower to anger, slower to panic when heās with her.
then he finds himself thinking that he would have been so much better if he had bestie with him his entire life. after that, he starts thinking that bestie would be better off with the softer, more fragile version of himself that doesnāt exist anymore.
itās not fair he had to be without her for 500 years :(
