⋆.˚★♰ greetings, mortals ♰★˚.⋆

They live for the ability to dig into someone's life and pull out the worst things, manipulate someone into revealing themselves, breaking people down for their own benefit. But I think their love stems from how hard that is to do to each other. The one person they can't break is the other.

Armand is fascinated by Daniels depth and his resistance. We saw how easily he got Larry to jump in front of that train, but Daniel resisted him for DAYS in San Francisco. No wonder he was fascinating. He is driven to distraction and the destruction of his life and the complete collapse of his moral code by that fascinating boy.

Daniel spent days trying to get at Armand in Dubai (and San Francisco I think) trying to understand his motives and break him. The pure joy on his face when he finally catches Armand in a lie. THAT is Daniels drug of choice. (We see this same high when he thinks he gets Lestat to confess everything about Nicki on tape) But Armand always manages to surprise him and throw him off. Once he thinks he's got him figured out Armand changes the game (turns him, confesses his love, etc.) Armand is the fix that keeps on giving for Daniel.

They did discuss bringing some of the 18th century stuff into present day and I think they have really made Armand feel like that presence Lestat could sense in the book, except he’s that for us as the audience.

And I feel like he’s been brought up constantly. Every single episode he’s been there in some capacity. Lestat mentions him to Sam during the recording. Muse!Nicki says they slept together over 400 times in one episode and implies Lestat loved Armand more than him in another. Lestat made sure we know he mentioned him to Marius and that Marius insulted him. Lestat invited him to the pretend Akasha dinner party despite claiming to hate him. He put him in charge of music and then berated him when he (a loaf of bread) failed at the task. Lestat needed us to know about Armand’s past with Daniel. The diss track. The show. Salamander talking about him in the book. Armand is everywhere.

He’s been so present without being present and I think there’s so much power in Armand’s character in that way. He is, on every level, haunting. A vampire who should never have been made and knows how cursed he is, yet has outlived so many younger than him.

First, the fact that Daniel goes there, and that he wants Armand to prove that he loved him. The way Armand goes straight to 1990, conveniently skipping over all of the 70s and 80s. A love confession didn't work last time, it clearly scared Daniel off. But the following (chase)? The stalking? In the context of "past DM real", that worked last time. That got Daniel to fall in love with him in the first place. Maybe it will work again?

Then the face journeys they're both going on. They are dancing around each other like crazy. Both playing their cards way too close to their chests. Daniel's "yeah?" feels so much like he's waiting for that fanfic favourite "yeah" reply. A return to that verbal sparring of Dubai because he likes that and it's comfortable, but he doesn't get it. Instead he gets "love between vampires..." and he fights it with "I will never love—" and then Armand changes tack. Another self-preservation tactic.

No, it's not about them. Not at all. It's about Lestat and Sofia, because Armand knows Daniel loves a good journalistic takedown. Loves to lob a bomb. He'll want this and maybe it'll make him want Armand too. And Daniel looks disappointed that maybe Armand doesn't want him, doesn't want to love him anymore after all.

Meanwhile, Armand looks like he wants to say so much more but he's being so careful because last time it went badly, and every time he loves, every time he hopes to be companions with somebody they shoot him down. So it's safer to say that he wants to be Daniel's maker. That's safe. That's less vulnerable.

The entire scene Daniel is vibrating out of his skin, looking like he's fighting for his life against the instinct to go to Armand. Does he want to kill him or kiss him? He doesn't know. He's about two seconds from folding and if you held a lit match next to those two they would both fucking explode.

daniel: i will never love--