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apoptoses · 7 months

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13. Dumbest thing they’ve ever done (for Armand AND Daniel, please!)

oh god so I'm gonna have to give two for each, a funny!dumb and a genuinely dumb because they both have some hits.

Armand

Funny: putting a rat in the microwave lmao like what was he thinking? Congrats, you killed a rat with modern technology and made the entire apartment stink like microwaved vermin. I bet they had to move out of that one that night, Daniel probably couldn't sleep for the stink.

Genuinely dumb: thinking he could influence Louis to turn Madeline, let his daughter be killed, hold a mock trial of his ex that he's clearly not over and then....have a happy relationship with him? Clearly Armand wasn't at peak social functioning at this point of time and I don't blame him for it but lord, what a half baked plan. Can't believe he ever thought Louis wouldn't come out of that even more depressed than he already was.

Daniel

Funny: spite eating everything Armand ordered for him at the Copley. I just love thinking of him so pissed off by how surreal the situation is that he thinks he can get back at Armand by....doing exactly what he wanted of him lmao Just shoveling down food until he's sweating and has to pop an alka seltzer for the heart burn before bed. Peak Molloy behavior.

Genuinely dumb: going to New Orleans in search of Lestat. He spent hours hearing what an erratic man Lestat is and runs straight into his house to do what? Get Lestat to turn him? Get a glimpse of him to prove to himself it's all real? He's lucky Armand found him, honestly. He went through stressful, surreal times with him but god only knows what kind of wringer Lestat may or may not have put him through had he picked him up. Or worse yet, some other vampire could have come around and caught him unawares. An iconic reckless, dumb choice.

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licncourt · 2 years

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Do you like David? I always thought he was boring but it was funny when AR would try to subtly push him and Lestat as an ‘otp’ onto the fans and get annoyed over the majority being like ‘no thanks’ lol

*Drake and Josh Megan meme* DAVID

I hate David and everything he represents. David Talbot is everything wrong with post-trilogy VC perfectly encapsulated in one Fuckin Guy. I'm so angry I need bullet points

QotD David: a perfectly sufficient character

Totally fine, mildly enjoyable even. I thought maybe he was going to be a good mentor/father figure and mediating influence for Lestat. He seemed capable and stable if a little dry, but nbd.

Body Thief David: REEE HISS. Very bad in many ways

First of all, given the history we learn later about David (pin in that) the fact that he only expresses sexual interest in Lestat once he's been swapped into a young, brown body reads as VERY gross. Ew.

Honestly, the fact that he gets involved with Lestat at all is gross and shitty. Lestat is much older in years, but he's operating with the brain of a traumatized, mentally ill twenty year old who clearly sees David as a trusted authority figure (whether he admits it or not). Lestat strikes me as the type who feels he needs to "earn" love with sexual or romantic behavior or that it's all he's good for, so honestly I just feel sad for him here as this idea gets reinforced by David

Secondly, I can't even begin to explain how wildly offensive his body swap is. AR had an old white British dude literally steal (COLONIZE) an Indian man's body. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was an allegorical critique of Britain's imperialist exploitation of Southeast Asia, but it's framed as a good thing. A sexy upgrade for David, who has no problem with this.

Merrick: Peak Form David (derogatory)

Surprise! David Talbot is a pedophile and admits this without hesitation. Not only has he clearly groomed Merrick from a very young age, but I believe it's in this book that we find out about his involvement with underage boys in South America. With Merrick as a biracial WOC plus the Latino boys, David only becoming interested in Lestat once he's in a brown body feels extra fetishistic

We also find out that he was almost expelled from the Talamasca for his involvement with a young member (not explicitly underage, but MUCH younger and far below him in authority/rank). More predatory bullshit

All of that aside, he's also just a fuckin jerk. Unlike the rest of the characters like Lestat, Louis, or Armand, he doesn't seem to think he's done/is doing anything wrong. Like, ever. He trots around like he's a galaxy brain genius and a moral authority when he's...very much not.

It doesn't help that he's AR's mouthpiece for shitty mental health opinions and his narration of Merrick (the book) is full of jabs at Louis for his mental illness and painting him as some pathetic loser for being suicidal. I'll find it if anyone wants, but there's literally a bit where he talks about how he wishes Louis would just kill himself already.

Even so though, when David can't have Merrick he directs that desire at Louis and pounces on him as soon as they're alone. (Fortunately, this leads to an extremely funny scene where Louis friendzones the absolute fuck out of him and is clearly done with his shit. 10/10)

I truly do not understand why AR was so enamored with this guy. He has the personality of wet sawdust and not nearly enough complexity to even make his flaws interesting. Merrick should have been a Louis book, narrated by him and exploring his mental health issues, but AR is incapable of not shoehorning David into absolutely everything. Even Loustat separately and together.

Clearly she wanted to him to be a replacement for Louis once she decided she hates him for no reason, but smart + introspective + character flaws =/= Louis. She tried to make it a formula and failed to capture any of what draws readers to Louis or makes us want to see him with Lestat. The dynamic she wrote for them in Interview was masterful and emotional and compelling.

Louis is the quiet horror of grief and mental illness personified and David is just Some Guy but shitty. He can barely stand on his own as a character, let alone carry the role of primary love interest, especially when he's trying to fill Louis' shoes. It was never, ever going to work and it's absurd she tried for so long. Literal decades.

David, like I said, represents everything wrong with what VC became. The racism, the abuse of power/privilege, the pedophilia, a lack of empathy for mental illness, and even just the smug, tone deaf certainty that AR self-sabatoged with. He's almost meta in how he well he encapsulates what's wrong with AR as a person and an author. She thought Lestat was her self-insert, but it's really David.

@sweetazathioprine has some great thoughts about David (and Marius) and what they represent as far as power and privilege in VC, but I couldn't find the post about it. (Sencha, hopefully you wouldn't mind adding that on or linking the post? I don't want to put words in your mouth but I don't remember exactly what you said!)

#answered #meta #but angry and disorganized #vc

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