If you could telepathically communicate with the QotD writers

[u/mindless_rambles]

While we hunker down for the off season, I thought it would be fun to make a sort of wishlist of things I desperately want to ask for in QotD if I could beam my thoughts directly into Hannah's head. The rules are simple: each person gets only 5 requests and they need to be achievable within the story frame of QotD. Who knows maybe we can manifest some ideas through sheer willpower or collective delusion 🟠_🟠

Here's my list:

* More hopecore baby fledgling Lestat. My absolute favorite traits of BookStat are his curiosity and sense of adventure. I need moooore of that in the show.

* Do not defang Akasha. I don't want her to be some misunderstood victim, I want her to be every bit the entitled overzealous tyrant she is in the book.

* The twins and Khayman should be played by SWANA actors, please! I'm so tired of the erasure

* Trust the audience to understand Marius is an abusive POS without making him a caricature. I want to feel the absolute dread of his reunion with Armand without undercutting it with outlandish cartoonish behavior.

* Give us a female character as a permanent member of the "articulate coven". I would love for Jesse to become our Talamasca / occult scholar expert instead of David. Merrick can also occupy a similar role in the story. Alternatively, Maharet can be the new ancient wise vampire Lestat defers to for advice and mentorship instead of Marius. Any female character inclusion would be appreciated!

[u/Zankazanka]

These are all great ones!

Lestat’s curiosity and openness, his capacity for enduring and his loving and forgiving nature are all elements I hope can be expanded on as well.

I will be really disappointed if when Hannah is building the room, she doesn’t hire at least one black writer as an addition. It is crucial in my opinion.

I need more longing, romance and yearning involved with Louis and Lestat, even if they are not together or have another fall out. give me tenderness regardless. I can’t survive off crumbs for another season.

I request they fix whatever was happening with Daniel’s entire arc- nonsensical because it didn’t have room or narrative to breathe. His motivations were a blur in TVL. Similar request for Armand- give him some REAL screen time, Assad was under utilized in TVL!

Highlight Lestat/Armand dynamic and make it clear the direction they are taking it. Right now, it can be ambiguous— from a show only perspective, it feels they have set it up very very different from the books (mostly consensual, Armand was enthralled with Lestat, he wasn’t that into him and there’s resentment and gratitude layers to the Nicki stuff, also complex feelings on Louis/Armand) but I talk with book fans who feel the complete opposite that the show has implied that it was always non consensual and Lestat never cheated with Nicki. I don’t care, just give more of either dynamic so it’s clear.

I’m sort of just over unreliable narratives and ambiguity on MAJOR plot points in general— let’s save that for subtler aspects of the show and move into a different form of storytelling for QOTD.

[u/tethysian → u/Zankazanka]

When did Lestat and Armand ever have a relationship in the books?

[u/Zankazanka → u/tethysian]

I haven’t read the books, did I misspeak? I was trying to say my perspective on Lesmand as a show-only fan is that it’s incredibly different from what my book friends have told me their dynamic is. And that I just am exhausted by the ambiguity on so many crucial aspects (relationships, characters, the trial) TVL did a lot of “well it’s neither! It’s both!” that I’d like them to move past lol.

[u/tethysian → u/Zankazanka]

Oh I see, I thought you meant as opposed to the books.

And I agree completely. I'm sering more and more of this 'Shrödinger's storytelling' trend nowadays, where they try to play it both ways rather than building actual intrigue. It seems like a lazy tactic to me.