romeo

i read the vampire armand like i read lolita. some discourse emerges from time to time by people who've read lolita and feel conflicted about their opinions on humbert humbert. he is a seducer, a manipulator, he purposefully tries to absolve himself of his crimes. the prose in lolita is rich, beautiful, the excuses are endless. humbert's tone is amicable, inviting, he takes you on the journey to perdition by the hand and asks of you only to be heard and not be judged. the catharsis in reading lolita (to me) lies entirely in the knowledge that this is the experience of many survivors. abusers & groomers look and talk like normal people. they exist the same way as us, they rationalize the same way, they show affection and kindness like everyone else. what makes them monstrous can be hidden, what makes them villains can be overshadowed by their amiable dispositions. how many survivors have told their stories and weren't believed or taken seriously because the perpetrator was just that much more convincing then them? that much more charismatic, charming, dominant, confident etc.? and how many more abused people can't look at their own victimization in all its brutality, can't inspect the wound too closely because it's gory, bloody and it hurts to be hurt? this is how i interpret armand's relationship with marius. like in lolita, it's primarily a story of a child who, because they have no other adult to depend on, sometimes walks into the bedroom of their own volition to seek comfort in the arms of the only other person they have left in the world.

never getting over the lil nose kiss Louis gives Armand (also, WHY have someone walk in front of the camera right then?? diabolical. is it for thematic significance? probably. but also, evil. don't disrupt their fluff.)

♥