🦐🦐🦐

Rest.

Waiting for a response

Thinking about how, whether he is conscious of it or not, Armand has already partially broken the cycle of abuse he was subjected to, simply by not turning Daniel when he was young.

The precise nature of Armand's very existence is a permanent reminder of what he was forced to live through, regardless of if he even has the ability to process the trauma in the first place. If he so much as catches his reflection out of the corner of his eye, he is reminded of the coveting and commodification of his youth and how the most innocent time of his life was weaponised against him. He is frozen there. His face looks so innocent because it creates a satisfying contrast with his actions narratively, but its also because he was. He was innocent. And that was stolen from him by selfish, greedy people who pretended their actions were out of love.

By letting Daniel go (assuming Devil's Minion era happened in the seventies), Armand protected him from this. Daniel experienced his entire youth and what it was like to age out of it without the fear of no longer having value like Armand did, and then came adulthood. He has lived to an age that Arun never could have dreamt of, that Amadeo was forced to realise, at one point, he would never experience, not in the human sense at least. He'll never have lines on his face like Daniel does. His worry lines and smile lines will never deepen. He won't develop crow's feet from squinting in the sun, which turned its back on him long ago anyway. His hair will never grey. Marius made certain of that.

But Daniel got to have all of that. His beloved got to live his life, fuck it up over and over and make a million mistakes. He had the freedom and the agency to do it. Armand will not see it, but he gave Daniel exactly what was taken from him so long ago. He is not just evil. He does not destroy everything. He gave Daniel the real gift, and now they get to move onto the next stage of Daniel's life together (after a couple seasons of slow burn I would imagine).

Just as he sees the tragedy of his past on his own face, he sees the potential he has to be different on Daniel's. He has immortalised true beauty in Daniel. The beauty of having lived a long life.

I think in the future Armand should continue to do his gaslighting, subtle manipulation, narrative weaving, scheming etc except over non-consequential things, and Daniel should just continue to unravel these threads, puzzles, mysteries, lies etc and it’s like foreplay for them.

I think there’s two reasons Daniel in 1973 had such a strong reaction regarding Louis’s view of vampirism and his story (aside from being a twenty year old know it all). One was that he identified with Claudia more—and saw the part where Louis left off at in the story as hopeful, and two he connected vampirism in Louis’ story with the ability to express queerness and be safe.

For the Claudia thing—they just had more in common at that point. Daniel gets choosing to explore and look for knowledge—he does not read as someone who’s really been in love before at twenty—at least not with a “handsome devil” and he’s not a parent. It’s also likely that after only two years out of high school Louis being “declared dead” by his family wouldn’t hit as hard.

When identifying more with Claudia at that point in the story—there’s much more hope there than identifying with Louis. I especially think Claudia going to Europe to find vampires and answers would have appealed to him. I wouldn’t be surprised if “get off the bench” meant “go with her.”

She’s getting answers! Exploring! Leaving her awful maker! Plus as far as Daniel knows Louis could be using past tense because they never made up or reunited or because she passed away—and even if she did die she might have achieved her curiosity seeking dreams so—worth it maybe! At least to Daniel! Vampirism is less inherently tragic at this point than after the trial. It’s hopeful not hopeless.

On the other side there’s also Daniel, a young queer person in 1973, who only feels safe acting queer and participating in queerness with drugs as a barrier—an excuse—meeting Louis with the beautiful long term boyfriend, and the one night stands in apartments, and the ex he’s still hung up on—comfortable and safe because he’s a vampire.

What Daniel got out of his story, the meaning he didn’t think Louis saw was life, life, and more life. Plus safety to live as you want to live. Louis breaches social norms along side becoming a vampire. He creates his mixed queer family post-vampire turning. The vampirism and the non-conformity seem linked.

He’s also so comfortable bringing boys back—even asking his boyfriend if he wants to join in! The countercultural, the ability to have, messy, yes, but also many queer relationships! Starting in 1910’s New Orleans with vampirism!

Louis ended the story with Claudia hopeful and leaving on the train—the worst part was his ex—and abusive exes are present in human lives too! You can recover! Get off the bench! The central tragedy haunting Louis narrative wasn’t explained to Daniel by that point.

Daniel saw Louis living like a mortal except for the safety to be himself in it and that’s why he wanted it!!! To be able to hide and the ability to kill any mortal who might object to you doing what you want to do!!! No need to hide behind substances to be yourself!!! Vampirism as life but more, but better!!!

if Daniel’s eyes really change to the color of his maker's eyes whenever he thinks about him this is gonna get real embarrassing real fast i feel

SUNRISE, PARABELLUM!

this goes both ways btw

wait i just thought about how Armand’s two most frequent pet names for Daniel are "beloved" (passive, the one who is loved by me) and "lover" (active, the one who loves me)

picking LINT??? off the SOFA???????