Ace of 💜s

my brother in christ you cannot be more wrong and I'm so tired. also if you ask a random stranger this in real life, a random stranger who's mature enough to understand the difference between fiction and reality, they will look at you like you speak gibberish.

proship stance = anti harassing real people over goddamned fiction. your kink is not my kink and that's okay. don't like don't read. there are some prompts that trigger the fuck out of me. I don't read it. I don't even like it. but I will defend its rights to exist because

1.) it is fiction

2.) no one in real life is harmed

3.) it cannot harm you unless you go searching for it, knowing it will upset or trigger you

4.) a lot of victims and survivors cope and heal through fiction, a safe and controlled environment

5.) censorship is a fascist tool. once you allow one thing to be censored because someone somewhere doesn't want it to exist, anything and everything can and will be censored.

Hi!

So, you may or may not have noticed, but I've rarely talked about Daniel's character this season. Which, given how much I talked about him and Armand after Season 1, and during Season 2, I'd say is odd for me.

Well, the reason I haven't talked about his character much at all this season is because of what you've noted above.

Like, everything.

Louis said it in this past episode—Daniel seemed "off." And I do not think that is only because he was hiding his rage from them, and what he was about to do with the revenge porn tape.

I, frankly, think Daniel has been "off" since the very end of Season 2, during that TV Interview scene.

He's crude. And while Daniel is an asshole and a dick, he's never been crude in how he is with it.

And no, I do not think that is just the vampirism at work there.

* * * * *

Yes, IMO Daniel's journalism skills have seemingly regressed, if you compare how he conducted his interview with Louis vs Lestat. And I do not think that is just because of Lestat being a different -- and harder -- nut to crack than Louis.

Just go back and rewatch how Daniel began his interview with Louis (both times!) vs what we see with him doing with Lestat.

Daniel asking Lestat the same question over and over, apparently for weeks at that point, during the start of every interview session about his stutter would've been the equivalent of Daniel asking Louis if he ate the baby over and over once they got to that part of the story.

The Daniel from Seasons 1 and 2, if the stuttering question didn't work, would have kept changing it up —changing his opening question, changing tactics —given how much he was getting—or wasn't getting—from Lestat each night.

Daniel's interviewing skills seem to have regressed. And I do not think that just has to do with transformational trauma. Because yes, I do think he has that.

And I do think that trauma accounts for some of the cruelty we've seen with him this season, as a way for him to deal with the pain from all of that.

But those things wouldn't have set back his actual skills in interviewing people. Not like how we've seen this season.

* * * * *

Merrick's eyes changing to Claudia's eye color when Claudia possesses her isn't the only time we've seen people's eyes go different when they are possessed. We saw it a bit back during Season 1 as well, when Lestat seemingly took over Tom Anderson for a moment or two.

And yes, as I've said, I don't think this show would have changed Daniel's book-canon eye color -- when they didn't change Louis', Lestat, or Armand's -- without there being a reason behind it.

And if my theory is right -- that it is because there is an invasive spirit in his body -- I honestly think Armand 100% knows what is going on with that. And I think Armand has likely known, maybe since the moment it happened, and was done to Daniel.

Because yes, I do think it is something that was done to Daniel and done by the Talamasca, which I recently gave a theory on as to why, here in this recent post:

IF Daniel dies this season, then I think the show will reveal why he has seemed "off," even OOC to many viewers -- and including Louis, in-universe -- before they do so. Because yes, revealing something like that, just when so many viewers appear to be hating him right now after EP306, is just the kind of move this show would pull IMO.

So yeah, out of everything I think they might leave ambiguous after the season finale (which I think for sure will be when it comes to Armand's actions regarding, well, everything and everyone), I don't think -- if this is what is going on with Daniel -- that it will be this.

Because Daniel's bowling ball is back in the next episode, as we see from the EP307 preview here:

Once again, going all orange in color, like it did for a moment when Daniel got pulled into the "rapture" with Armand in EP304 as we see here:

When, as I've said before, and as you can see in the screenshots below, the bowling ball is usually multi-colored, being both orange and violet... and violet being the book-canon color of Daniel's eyes:

So yeah, I think the bowling ball is tied into what is going on with Daniel, in some way.

But yeah, again, if my theory on all of this is correct, then I think Armand 100% knows and has been trying to help Daniel regarding it the whole time.

SAM: It's really crazy. It's really wild.

AUTUMN: I can't wait to watch it cause I've got to say six really broke me. It really broke me down. So, I'm ready to see it.

SAM: I mean, I think seven is like... I can't tell you. I can't speak.

AUTUMN: I don't want any spoilers, but do you have any words of warning?

SAM: I'd say it is a combination of the most horror we've ever done and the most... otherworldly. Yeah, I mean I think it would kind of hopefully give context to why the season is the way it is. Um and it will give some sort of structure into why– It gives some kind of– The season has always been building to this one specific episode. This was Rolin's initial idea of how to convey this impossible-to-adapt book and the core theme that he wanted to pull out of it and how he wanted to convey it... at least in terms with Lestat. And then– and outside of that, it's just pure horror. And I'd say, yeah, Assad is doing like some of the best work I've ever seen. He's just amazing. He's incredible in that episode. He's absolutely incredible.

AUTUMN: I can't wait.

SAM: That's all I can say.

i do find it interesting that that is what prompts him for a second to verbally be like “wait a second she was a bad mother” before (crushingly) going to back to “but i am no longer a toddler and can do things to make you interested in me now.”

anyways i just want to hug baby and current lestat. i would love to hear about your stick game.

What struck me the most about that is the fact it was a look at Lestat's spirit.

We saw it with the ice cream scoop —

This is what BabyStat would've been like with his sticks. Finding the joy in simple things and engaging with it in delighted whimsy.

And instead of having love for her inherently good and gentle child, she just leaves him.

It leaves an impression on Lestat. He's "too much" and it's "his" fault that she leaves. It's a devastating blow of damage to his development and his psyche, and it does go a very long way in explaining why he operates the way he does. It also reframes a lot of his more....let's say unhinged moments with Louis, such as "I heard your hearts dancing!" because that was never about the relationships with Jonah or Antoinette. That was always about Louis' seeming rejection of Lestat for himself "What can I say? I'm a lot. I'm not perfect." and it spiraled back to these horrors like Gabriella abandoning him at a river as a baby just because he annoyed her with his wonder over sticks.

He's been told his entire life that he's just this colossal mistake and that he's unworthy of unconditional love without any expectations on his part.

It breaks my heart and even with all that damage, he still maintains that tender spirit, and we see it demonstrated all throughout S3, such as when he buys candy to give out on Halloween. I mean, that's him. That's Lestat and no matter how much he's used and abused, his spirit cannot ever be broken, and that's why he's such a beautiful character and such an inspiration. He represents strength and hope and love and resilience. The "failure" makes him better, and I just love how the season is truly bringing that to the forefront, because it's directly from Lestat's arc in the book canon.

That's the epitome of Lestat right there. ^^ That's BabyStat with his sticks and BabyFledglingStat with his ice cream scoop. 🥹♥️

(very long post!) this is actually the second part to my first meta where i address Louis and Lestat's own parental trauma and how this impacts their respective approaches to Claudia. this post is the continuation of that so please read that one first, it covers their parenting styles and abusive tendencies. this was actually inspired by a lot of what Sam Reid spoke about in the BTS/ After Dark about how important it is to give a child the space to hate you as a parent so they can learn about hate, and how Gabriella never gives that Lestat, and it made me think a lot about Louis and Claudia as well, especially after the seance scene.

I think that it what happened to Louis was real & that he said it in that moment, because he wanted to put a mirror to what Gabriella is actually doing to Lestat. I could also imagine that Louis' own experience fueled his initial reaction by seeing Gabistat.

What do you think? Do you think Louis' line is ambiguous enough that it could go either way?

Hmmm.

It didn't read as metaphorical or ambiguous to me. It was framed as if it was something that Louis and Lestat had already previously discussed as a testament to their relationship. Lestat's tone read to me as Lestat being hurt at the thought of someone doing to Louis what Gabriella is doing to him, and he quickly wanted to convey to Louis that they didn't need to rehash it.

When you look at the comment within the full context of the conversation, it's telling to me, because Lestat points out that he knows Florence called Louis the devil and blamed Louis for Paul's death. Lestat knows Louis' most shameful trauma, which sheds light on the fact they did communicate their deepest feelings back in the day. They were trusted best friends first and foremost, and that was on full display the entire episode. So I think Louis was trying to tell Lestat that the "dollar" from the cousin didn't justify sexual abuse, because Lestat was trying to frame Gabriella "helping him" to picture the larger life outside of Auvergne as if he owed her this access to his body. It read to me as Louis saying he relates, but it's not okay no matter what the other person gives you. I just don't see something as profound as that being metaphorical.

I do wish someone would ask Jacob about this scene. I watched After Dark hoping for a good discussion on the entire Gabriella reveal, but I should've known better. The interviewer has been abysmal all season. 😑 In fact, I'm not seeing many good discussions about it, because so many simply don't seem to understand grooming and incest, which brings me to your other point about Louis' reaction.

Louis' initial response to this was horrific, yes. He said some very grotesque things to Lestat. However, it was a very real reaction. Look no further than some of the fandom reaction, because they think Lestat being an adult means it's not abuse and that he's a willing, consenting participant. No. That's not how it works at all, and the scene at the bar heavily implied this relationship crossed the lines into sexual abuse long before Lestat was turned. Combine that with the fact Gabriella traumatizing him at the witches' place is why he has the stutter, and it's a chilling picture of what his life was actually like with her. Lestat hides this for a reason. Lestat was sick at the thought of Louis knowing about this for a reason. It comes with a stigma, and Lestat is aware of this.

With Louis, he wasn't aware of what >we< know about it at that point. He didn't know the backstory. All he saw was Lestat seemingly having consensual sex with his mother. It's hard for people to comprehend that the very dynamic of a parent-child relationship means the child cannot consent. No matter how old they are. And really, Louis took offense to the fact Lestat had "lied" about it. That is what really pissed off Louis. He spent decades with Armand being deceived and having his brain scrambled and now he's back with Lestat, they're trying to be open and honest with each other again instead of the petty games, and here's this big reveal that spirals back centuries that was under Louis' nose the entire time, yet Lestat never told him the full truth of it. We just saw in the previous scene that Louis is frustrated, because he wants to know all of Lestat. He wants to know his backstory, but Lestat explained that he just wanted to live a new life with Louis and for Louis. It's a romantic enough gesture, yes, but the truth behind that is the shame and the trauma. That's when Lestat looks away in shame and self-loathing and simply responds with "Because, Louis. I'm a monster."

There is way more laden into that statement than just the shame about his blood. Victims of incest and sexual abuse often hate themselves and blame themselves for the abuse they suffer. Their abusers often gaslight them and brainwash them into believing that they (the abuser) are the only one who will ever "love" them. That is exactly what Gabriella has done to Lestat. She was doing it in the previous scene after the rehearsal when she said Louis "likes his phone." The leading implication there is that >she< appreciates Lestat in a way that Louis does not. It's manipulation, gaslighting, isolation, and emotional abuse. She's trying to drive a wedge between Lestat and Louis by asserting herself as the "better" companion by taking shots at Lestat's self-esteem in relation to Louis' perception of him. It's an insidious pattern, because Lestat believes that Louis will find him disgusting and will abandon him if he knows about the abuse. It's what Gabriella has made Lestat believe.

It's not until Lestat has the full-blown panic attack that it finally clicks with Louis that this is something way more sinister than just "Lestat fucks his mother" and when he realizes, he's immediately apologizing and trying to comfort Lestat. That's one of the horrors of the relationship. Lestat, the victim, is victim-blamed for the simple fact one has to understand the layered and complex psychological mechanics of incestuous sexual abuse and people don't understand.

But Louis is trying to understand, because he loves Lestat, and he knows he messed up by judging something that he didn't know, but as soon as he got it thanks to Lestat's gut-wrenching reaction? He showed sympathy and understanding and basically told Lestat in the bar scene that he would carry that burden with Lestat. "A hill to climb."

2.4k Words - Explicit - Daniel/Armand