u/mynnafae

Okay, I'm working on a few fic ideas, and I need help with history/backstory. I'm more familiar with Andrei's backstory than Arun's, now obviously this is probably because Arun's story hasn't fully unfolded yet. I'm willing to be wrong or alternative when later seasons come, that's fine. I just want to know what we know up to this point.

Arun was from Delhi, either the city or Sultanate. He was kidnapped. Imprisoned. Trafficked. Eventually found by Marius. Things obviously get fuzzy here, but we know Marius "died" and Arun, now Amedeo, now Armand is left with the coven for 400 years.

Now, I know this is probably A Bit Too Deep for most fics, but I have a few ideas, and like to be introspective and fairly historically accurate if I can in my writing. Blame my 5 year degree in the damn subject, lol. I'm also willingly open to discussion re: both book and show, and willing to blur/blend/merge as needed.

Things we know/I know for sure thanks to the show so far about Armand but are mysterious to me and would love to chat on/get links to/help with

• Armand knows Muslim prayers; this makes sense for Arun's birth and growth in the area of SE Asia and the Mughal/Timurid influences post Khanates.
  • However, Daniel clocks in in season 1 as not praying in Arabic, something more Central Asian (Kazakh, Crimean).
    • Through a bit of google-fu I learned that from 1468-1472 there was a Russian Expedition through Persia and the Ottomans that established contact especially through the Russian port city of Astrakhan (which was visited by Ibn Battuta in the 1320s) and was later conquered by Ivan the Terrible in 1556 and then in 1569 there was the Russo-Turkic wars with the Ottomans

Why does that matter to me/my idea the fic?

Well, technically a person from Delhi would speak either Hindi (if it's modernly placed Dehli), or Bengali (if it's the Sultanate). Where would Arun learn something more Slavic? Especially prayers?

Well, if he was sold into shipboard slavery by his parents, merchantile business, shipping, etc would have been routed through either the Bay of Bengal or routed North on foot through Afghan/Hindu Kush territory, Persian territory, and the Eurasian/Khanate Steppes toward the Caspian Sea.

Which puts us smack in the pirating routes of the Crimean-Nogai slave trade. The Crimean Horde broke in 1502. Arun was born in 1508. At 15 he's purchased by Marius De Romanus, which puts us in 1523. We know from the end of season 3 that his first... ahem, trafficking experience, is at 12, which would be 1520.

What lies right comfortably in all of this mess, aside from my insanity and my red string board of late nights smoking blunts and going on deep dives?

Turkey. The Ottomans.

Which is to say into a Turkic speaking, Crimean Tatar involved, linguistic mess.

Here's the map from wikipedia:

Locations of 2,511 slave raids in Eastern Europe between 1453 and 1774

The sea right smack in the middle is the Black Sea, but to the right, below the legend, that's the Caspian.

from geology.com

The above is a modern map of the region today, including more of SE Asia and Arabia.

Exactly like Daniel called out. Kazakh. Crimean, maybe.

Link to Armand praying and Daniel watching in season one.

Obviously Dubai!Armand doesn't have as strong a Kazakh accent as he does French, but it actually does still sound decently Kazakh - here's a link to a natural Kazakh speaker in English. Or maybe it's me?

Now, obviously Armand's questions of religious practice are left to interpretation, and Armand himself. But I think it says something that after 500 years, Armand still prays in the language of his captors. And circles back to Daniel's questions.

And to mine; in the books Andrei is the artist. Does that mean in the show Arun is the art? What the fuck made Marius look at this likely starving teen and "save" him? It wasn't the art. It wasn't the language, much as I've harped on it. Is it the simplest answer? The predatory one? I'm fine with that being the answer, but what are everyone's thoughts?

Did the show writers put in so much thought to the language as I have, or was it a simple nod to Andrei being from Kiyv?

Have I missed things? I wouldn't be surprised. Am I completely wrong? Let me know!

We know that coffins aren't a 'necessity' as Louis of 94 once said, but they seem to be a preferred, safe alternative. We see Daniel kinda strapped in his baby bjorn on the wall of the bus. Gabi burying herself. Louis and Armand shared a bed in Dubai in a closed off room. Lestat, is of course, our classic king.

What about Armand on his own? Casket? One of those fancy curtained beds? One of those box beds? Face down in a bathtub? Splayed out in a hammock in the sun?

Talk to me. Give me your theories. Any vampy we've seen.

Love them and their insights. Please enjoy.

This is a bit off the cuff after chatting with a few friends and I'm going to try not to get too spoilery, but I'm also fairly newish to reddit's coding and so if I mistag or something please forgive me. I'm also Fandom Old, have read the books since the 90s, and am just kinda an old bitch.

One thing I've been thinking about is the likelihood of Show Armand's view of sex as transactional, almost depersonal. In a way similar to Daniel's use of gay bars as a 'good place to score'. Sex for drugs. Sex for art. Sex because it was asked.

Armand, in some ways, also views love like this. He even loves unconsensually, in a way. If there are no past interactions like the books, if it's 52 years of Tsundare stalking, then it's 100% one sided, unreciprocated.

When paired with Daniel, 2 burned marriages, 2 daughters who won't return his calls, one wonders if it's self sabotage, if it's inability, unwantedness, "brokenness". Drugs mess with libido, both good and bad. In the very first episode of the series, we learn the first book Daniel wrote was on the AIDS/HIV crisis in early San Francisco. That he's seen the darker parts of humanity's inhumanity; drugs, trafficking, assault, abuse, murder, disease.

Daniel, as broken, fucked up, angry as he is, is a romantic. And Armand has no idea what that is, how to manifest it. They are both deeply broken, by years of trauma and self-abuse, by others, by the world. I don't know if we'll get the lovey dovey beloved with blenders as in the books, and I'm not sure if I'd want that for this show's version. Maybe eventually.

Right now, I am utterly fascinated by these two broken men trying to figure out what consensual, non-toxic love looks like. Two addicts. Two fumbling in the dark lovers, perhaps. Two old men who are young and unhealed children.

Anyway, thanks for listening to my ramble. Let me know your thoughts too!

So, the old man yaoi has awoken me from my slumber after 6 years. I'm working out a rough idea for a fic. Does anyone know if there's canonical names for Daniel's daughters? I can't seem to remember them being named, but I haven't scoured scripts either.

Anything we know about them would be helpful!

Hello fellow Beautiful Unwell denizens. I was hoping to purchase stuff from the AMC store, namely a shirt and a poster, but I'm from Canada, and so am uncertain about duties/tariffs and price listings. I'm assuming the prices listed are in USD on the site? Have any fellow canucks purchased anything and can talk on any "hidden fees" I should be aware of? I have a limited budget so I want to make sure I'm not blindsided.

Just finished watching this reaction, I love reaction channels and I love this reaction duo, and the girl of the two was the dancer in this week's episode!

My mom's birthday is coming up and it's one we want to celebrate with something other than Mandarin, haha. I know some places do a free meal with another purchase or free desserts, drop the ones you know are worth it!

Bought from a seller I've a good relationship. Had a bit of a back and forth after making a purchase today, telling her how excited I was. Received a response from her that one of the shirts I wanted couldn't be found, and which would I like I return. I went to reply in our conversation and was told XXX user cannot reply to conversation anymore.

I click on her closet to decide which shirt. Closet is entirely blank. Everything else still shows up. Payment went through on my bank's end.

I sent a message to support, but obviously that can take days.

Uhhhh... Help?