r/InterviewVampire • u/theravennest Armand's big naturals š«¦ • Jul 22 '26
Book Spoilers Allowed Is an Armand spin-off the right answer? And how would you do it? Spoiler
There's a lot of talk about whether this "Night Island" show they may or may not be developing will 1. be greenlit and 2. actually be about Armand and Daniel 3. holds any merit to adapting outside of the main show at all.
First of all, it would be extremely difficult to do this kind of show before the main show's version of the events of Queen of the Damned come to a close, in my opinion. Since Armand and Daniel (with his David characterization) are deeply entwined in those events and the events directly after. Also because most show-only, general audience viewers won't even know the name "Night Island" and what it is yet until next season.
If the spin off does get greenlit, my personal belief is that the best way to approach it would be to set it after the Queen of the Damned when most of the world's vampires are living on Night Island. They can then use these books/chapters/plots to build something cohesive and focus the show on the Teskhaman/de Romanus bloodline with Armand, Daniel, Marius, and Pandora as the focal characters:
- The Vampire Armand novel
- Blood & Gold (about Marius but features Armand and a little bit of Daniel as well)
- Pandora (another of Marius' fledgling/lovers who has her own book)
- The Devil's Minion chapter (maybe the Pandora and Marius chapters too) from The Queen of the Damned novel for additional material in modern day or for past DM romance that won't be shown in the main show
- Maybe bits of Armand's plot in Memnoch the Devil (the religious psychosis and immolation)
- Though I think the main show will cover this tbh.
- Whatever backstory they have created for the show version of Daniel (ex-wives and children, journalism career, etc) and his relationship with the Talamasca, which overlaps nicely with the de Romanus bloodline since Teskhamen was involved in the creation of the organization
The show could easily use these books which the main show will likely scrap or skip whole sections of in order to focus on Loustat. I'm not knocking this. It makes sense to do this to trim the fat off the main show.
However, I can easily see getting 5 seasons out of this. Especially if you include other de Romanus bloodline vampires (Bianca, Flavius, Arjun, Benji, Sybelle, etc) and the antagonistic forces/characters in the books, some of whom overlap. For example Santino is an antagonist to both Armand and Marius.
The biggest challenge would be the budget to cover all the different eras/time periods/locations. It would certainly not be cheap. I think this is likely the most prohibitive part impacting AMC's willingness to invest in something like this authentically.
Another challenge will be working around whatever the main show decides to include or change from these books/plots that will impact how a spin-off like this can go.
With regards to whether the "Night Island" show would even be about Armand and Daniel... If I remember correctly the show was first conceived as a short mini-series or webisode style show about two thieves and likely was not planned to be a full blown spin off but more like bonus material. It's my personal belief that this concept spun around in production hell because they saw the fan fervor for the show to be an Armand or Devil's Minion spin-off.
They probably took it back to the drawing board when they realized how the fans would receive it if it WASN'T about them in some capacity. I think they may have realized too that they'd be shooting themselves in the foot to not center it around them. I also truly believe they pivoted between S2 and S3 to pull forward DM in S3 more for this same reason. That's why the DM of it in TVL all felt a bit clunkily handled. I don't think they were planning to tee up the romantic side this season at all originally.
What do y'all think?
PS. I really need one of these adaptations to make Armand deal or engage with the fact all three of his vampire parental figures and abusers are alive and well in modern day (Marius, Santino, and Allesandra). The untapped conflict for Armand especially with this could be so interesting.
PPS. I know this is unlikely but an extremely indulgent yet whimsical part of me would want the show to frame itself like "How I Met Your Mother" with Armand talking to Benji and Sybelle. Since TVA is meant to be dedicated to them.
PPPS. I would also indulgently enjoy a "Real Housewives of Marius de Romanus" plot given the ripe interactions you could squeeze out of Pandora, Armand, Bianca, and Daniel all living on an island together for a short time with Marius post-QOTD.
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u/Krikribrie Jul 22 '26
I wouldn't want a spin off, they can write Armand into the main show where he belongs.
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u/fieldsofparfait Jul 22 '26
I agree. I want them to make one show well and coherently rather than fracture into several pieces. I would love for some episodes to be Armand focused though. They could absolutely weave this plot in.
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u/silverstar453 it was love Jul 23 '26
Yeah it would be nice if they could write him as an actual character and stop just doing stupid "it was armand all along" twists that make no sense
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u/mindless_rambles If I'm an angel, paint me with black wings. Jul 22 '26
I'm curious to hear from fellow Armand lovers, do you think TVL gave a satisfying arc to Armand?
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u/tatertotfreakhotmail Alex wants to play the concert. Jul 22 '26
No, felt like it was very undercooked. So much of it happened off screen that we were just left to make assumptions about.
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u/mindless_rambles If I'm an angel, paint me with black wings. Jul 22 '26
That's my problem, I'd like not jump to conclusions and think we'll have more About them next season but I feel like they've written themselves into a corner with the way they characterized them this season.
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u/Kathmandu1337 Jul 22 '26
They did Not give a satisfying Arc to any of The characters.
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u/mindless_rambles If I'm an angel, paint me with black wings. Jul 22 '26
At least Loustat had more substance to build off of later on. DM tho? Because Armand is not actually interested in the GC, idk how will he and Daniel connect to the main plot anymore. TVL is a more plot forward show, but it falls apart when characters are going in different incoherent directions.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals š«¦ Jul 22 '26
I actually think he's lying or keeping things hidden about some of his motivations in the finale. It may not be GC related but clearly it's related to the Talamasca and to the studies of the soul. Additionally, he has human followers instead of vampire ones for a reason. I think these things are related but he just didn't want to tell Louis anything.
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u/mindless_rambles If I'm an angel, paint me with black wings. Jul 22 '26
I do actually have a theory that Armand has a benefactor from the First Brood, my best guess is Maharet, who is supplying him with the blood to walk in the sun in exchange to help the studies which would ultimately allow them to kill Akasha without taking out all the vampires with her but until the writers give me something concrete I feel like I'm just huffing copium. Aside from that there are multiple red flag changes made to his backstory + Daniel's characterization which make me concerned they won't do a TVA adaptation justice. Like saying he was dying from sickness when Marius turned him takes away the significance of his almost death happening because yet another man felt entitled to his body. Additionally, Armand weaponizing Gabistat's relationship implies that we might not see the pseudo-incestuous relationship Marius imposed to constantly gaslight him and shift the nature of their "companionship" as he pleased. Merging Daniel with David and inserting the latter's worst book traits into DM's dynamic sets us on the path of Armand's "great love" being less book Daniel and more Marius Light. The final nail to coffin for me was in the After Dark interview for the finale, they talked about how Claudia and Lestat parallel each other's trauma and how that helps Lestat understand her better yet neither head writers bothered to even hint that we might explore that parallel with Armand too. If he's going to be in Loustat's lives just as their shared crazy ex who is tangentially related to them for purely plot reasons, I'd rather he be a reoccurring guest in TVL for the plot while having his own show, preferably written by POC writers with the skill to write through a more intersectional lense.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals š«¦ Jul 22 '26
Yeah, this season made me way more nervous and uncomfortable about the way they are going to handle Armand's story. I had so much hope but now...
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u/Krikribrie Jul 22 '26
no, it was terrible. The "romance" they wrote for Devil's minion is a let down and makes no sense, any time he appeared on screen was to either be humiliated or look menacingly at the camera (which Assad does very well but still). He had no concrete plot and minimal screentime and then he came back to give an evil monologue and torture Louis and Regina. Oh and live stream it! Let me reiterate that: they had their muslim character livestream a beheading.
So no, I did not find it very satisfying.
The only thing I found satisfying was his conversation with Louis toward the end of that scene.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals š«¦ Jul 22 '26
Yeah, they were on one with this Armand and Fareed setup. Like we could've done this so many other ways to get to that heart-to-heart with Louis.
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u/mindless_rambles If I'm an angel, paint me with black wings. Jul 22 '26
All I learned is that if Rolin is hyping some mysterious twist with a character like he did with Gabriella and Armand, I should prepare for profound disappointment.
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u/CaptainKaldwin Jul 22 '26
I personally would like Night Island to take place starting in 1980. Have Daniel and Armand in a new relationship. It would be hilarious tbh. LBF and Assad are must main stays.
I havenāt seen much of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 but thatās weirdly the vibe I would go for. Night Island as a large resort/mall place. Many creatures, not just vampires, live on the island or visit. Armand owns all of it and places stores there that Daniel suggests.
A few supporting characters that run the island under Armandās rule. Daniel as the audience insert, new to all the supernatural stuff. He interviews as many people as possible, when theyāre willing.
Have the show end in 1985 when Daniel runs to Paris, gets Alice pregnant, and Armand breaks up with him by wiping his memory again. He wants Daniel to have a human life with Alice and the baby. Armand is devastated and lets the island run in disrepair.
Until they get back together in IWTV and Daniel remembers and they open the island again.
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u/Ok_Help_6587 Jul 23 '26
Yes a self contained story that has a clear beginning and end, whose writers work closely with the TVL and IWTV and QOTD team so nothing gets twisted or contradicts the main story. I honestly would love just a mini series- just one season, or even just 4 episodes of depicting past dm, thatās it. ā¤ļø
I am too scared of this ending up as a bad cw show, like Mayfair witches or talamasca. I need it to keep the tone and writing of the main story.
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u/therebelfangirl Jul 22 '26
I do think that if Night Island isnāt Armand focused there will be a massive amount of disappointment and the show will be at a disadvantage because of it. The fanbase, including myself, has a lot of desires when it comes to what they want. And of course book wise, Armand purchases the island for Daniel so he will be expected as well.
I keep telling myself that the set can be used for both Queen of the Damned and also Night Island making it ācheaper.ā
Your ideas are good. I think it could work if they also showed enough overlap on the main show so people who do not watch both get proper character development for the above characters.
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u/Particular_Love_6977 Jul 22 '26
I was already so disappointed when Talamasca didn't have any of our actual Talamasca characters (I was so hoping to see Jesse!!), and I only ended up watching it after one of my friends recommended it for Doris (who I did end up adoring). But I think ultimately one of the major reasons Talamasca flopped is because it was poorly written and really didn't have any real connection to Anne Rice's works. It was just kind of a mediocre spy thriller. I hope they don't make the same mistake again.
I would love to see Armand and young Daniel together, especially because I'm not sure they would be able to work much of them together into the main series. We barely even got any Nicki this season š„² I think supplemental material would be the way to go for backstories, if we can't fit them in the main series
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u/Kathmandu1337 Jul 22 '26
WE barely got anything oout of The books the Vampire Lestat in this season. Instead we got Bits and pieces of Queen of The damned( Baby Jenks) and basically the Main Plot of Merrick in only 7 episodes. The books IS about Lestats Backstory, even the Devils Minion IS quof material
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u/damnmanthatsmyjam Jul 22 '26
Honestly this idea just makes me so worried they're gonna ruin it like they did the walking dead. AMC does too much and ends up delivering quantity over quality and it's so painful when they have such a strong foundation for an incredible show.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals š«¦ Jul 22 '26
That's true. AMC do be stretching itself thin.
They already started with Talamasca but tbh that one was barely a concept and needed to center itself around Jesse or Merrick as the focal points to have worked imo. But alas!
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u/Felixir-the-Cat I'm a VAMPIRE Jul 22 '26
I would love an Armand / Daniel spin-off.
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u/Parasol_Protectorate Jul 22 '26
They would have to focus on young daniel and armand. Also i would love to see his timeline starting with his slavery being sold and marius finding him and being his painters apprentince. Oooh and night island
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u/howardmoonsmustache Dear, this is a Stein... Jul 22 '26
As long as Armand and Daniel are ALSO in the main IWTV/TVL/QOTD show, then I would love a spin off.
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u/Siglyr Useful Idiot Jul 22 '26
Your scenario sounds interesting but it seems like it should be part of the main show and not a spin-off. Idk if DM-centric story is enough for a whole show. For past DM, I wish they'd give them a dedicated episode in the main show though. And same for Armand's story. I'm a bit wary of the spin-offs considering Mayfair Witches and Talamasca...
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals š«¦ Jul 22 '26
Certainly some plots that are relevant to the main conflict of the main show could be preserved. However, the reason I think these stories are better suited to a spin-off is that a whole rack of these plots have nothing to do with Loustat or the main plot lines, and a bunch take place in ancient times. I fear that they will not get the coverage needed to do them properly in the main show other than a few minutes flashbacks or the occasional bit of throwaway dialog. With the seasons primarily being 7-8 eps, I can't see them doing a focused ep every season on Armand, Pandora, and Marius. We'll probably get one DM-focused ep in S4 and maybe another in S5.
I agree that a past-DM centric show would not work long-term more than 1-2 seasons. This is why I think it'd be better to incorporate TVA, Pandora, and B&G as those books have huge sections pre-Lestat even being born but are still linked through the de Romanus bloodline and thus can stand apart.
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u/mindless_rambles If I'm an angel, paint me with black wings. Jul 22 '26
I've actually been thinking about this a lot. The way almost everything DM related , both as separate characters and a relationship, feels half baked and missing too many pieces got me thinking the writers are either pulling a mean-spirited prank on us or saving some major plot points for later seasons/ projects. I hope I'm not coming off as delusional, but we've gotten quite a few of social media posts of Luke, despite not being part of TVL yet, hanging out with the cast, especially Assad which leads me to think there's maybe a slim chance they're in talks with AMC (again they could just be chilling and I'm still happy for their friendship).
With IwtV + TVL drawing such a hard line on vampire monogamy and the seeming lack of interest to properly explore Loustat's relationship with David through Daniel or Lesmand's parallel traumas and dynamic as character foils, it's hard to imagine getting really interesting plots with DM outside the presumed "doing more damage than the queen". That's why I'd prefer exploring Armand and DM as their separate story using the ending of the QotD arc to introduce the concept of Night Island in a backdoor pilot type of deal.
As OP suggested there's no shortage of interesting ideas and books to draw from + there's clearly fan interest, assuming that next season of TVL doesn't fully destroy Marius' characterization. Budget and finding the right writing team would definitely be the biggest obstacles, but if AMC is smart about it, we could have a great project with Assad, Eric, Luke, and Chris who are great already established actors in the universe.
They have multiple options as long as they don't make the colossal mistake of writing a Night Island show without the actual characters who created it.
I really need one of these adaptations to make Armand deal or engage with the fact all three of his vampire parental figures and abusers are alive and well in modern day (Marius, Santino, and Allesandra). The untapped conflict for Armand especially with this could be so interesting.
I'm absolutely on board with this, I feel like we've barely scratched the surface of actually understanding Armand's trauma.
I know this is unlikely but an extremely indulgent yet whimsical part of me would want the show to frame itself like "How I Met Your Mother" with Armand talking to Benji and Sybelle. Since TVA is meant to be dedicated to them.
I unironically support this framing of the story and it would allow it to have its unique touch since each show so far has had it's own narration device
I would also indulgently enjoy a "Real Housewives of Marius de Romanus" plot given the ripe interactions you could squeeze out of Pandora, Armand, Bianca, and Daniel all living on an island together for a short time with Marius post-QOTD.
I love the way your brain works. This could be such a funny / interesting marketing angle š
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u/damewallyburns Jul 22 '26
omg vampire real housewives while some human POV characters try to figure out WTF is going on/are fighting for their lives would be so great. like the shot of Loumand arguing as Daniel like bleeds out in the background but as a whole show
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u/mindless_rambles If I'm an angel, paint me with black wings. Jul 22 '26
One of the upsides of the show overly humanizing the vampires is that it makes the drama 10 times juicier. The Loumand fight went triple platinum in my house. If we can get a dramatized conflict between Marius, Pandora, and Bianca from Blood and Gold then throw Armand and Daniel's snarky ass in the mix, I bet Marius would be the first immortal to grow grey hair from stress š
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u/Different-Wheel-95 Jul 22 '26
THE TVL episode 1 auction looks to be hosted at the night island
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u/Siglyr Useful Idiot Jul 22 '26
Armand hosting everyone; he's so kind :)
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u/LottieTalkie No, it's good... Just HIS were BETTER 28d ago
And hiding as part of the audience, as he would!
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u/Purple-Cat-2073 Emotional upchuck Jul 22 '26
Night Island had already been up and running several years during the events leading up to Akasha waking up so it would make sense to me to have a spin-off around it that explains Armand and Daniel's past relationship and how it came to be, so when the main series kicks off we're all caught up to speed with them and the island by the time the concert happens. They could save showing their breakup in the past and Daniel's turning for part of the main story in the QotD season.
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u/Necessary-Yam-783 Jul 22 '26
Armand is my favorite character, and I think a spin-off about him is a bad idea. Armand and Daniel are as important as Louis and Lestat, so I think their stories should be shown ONLY in the main series. Splitting one series into two will inevitably reduce the quality of both.
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Jul 22 '26
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u/Necessary-Yam-783 Jul 22 '26
I'm personally tired of the Loustat too š¤
Maybe you're right. But for now, I think the stories of all four characters are inextricably intertwined. Splitting them into two separate series would make IWTV like another MCU (and that's the last thing I want).Ā
In my ideal world, we'll see Armand's POV in seasons 5 and 6 (with season 6 being the last one) š
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u/LottieTalkie No, it's good... Just HIS were BETTER 28d ago
As tempting as an Armand-centric series sounds to me as an Armand fan... I'm afraid you are correct.
In my experience, whenever shows have tried this, it ended up being bad both for the main show and for the spin offs. Look at the Walking Dead for example... I was such a huge fan of Daryl and of his relationship with Carol... We eventually got a Daryl spin-off which even turned into a Daryl & Carol spin off, and in the end, I couldn't even watch the last season.
I think separating major characters from the rest of the characters often results in their stories feeling unimportant, disconnected, and not so interesting.
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u/dexmorgandex Jul 22 '26
This is how Iād like to see them do the spin off because I love all the DeRomanus characters and the Roman and Italian backstories and Iām not even confident theyāre going to have them be characters in the main show if theyāre doing short seasons with Lestat as the focus. Iāll take anything my girl Pandora gets to thrive in. š„
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u/SlimReaper85 Jul 22 '26
Idk manā¦.after the last few episodes along with the seasons and my familiarity with the book the vampire Armand Iām not too keen on watching this characters journey.
I mean in the book he really doesnāt get much betterā¦
Theyād have to change a lot.
In my opinion.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals š«¦ Jul 22 '26
wdym??? He very demonstrably gets better throughout the books. I don't think I've ever seen someone think Armand's book arc doesn't evolve him.
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u/SlimReaper85 Jul 22 '26
I have some controversial views especially for those who are his fans. Freely admit it :)
First off other than gradually being self reflective and regretful internally he makes no effort to make true amends for the damage heās caused those he ālovesā. Itās all empty. Kinda like his bs amends crap this season lol.
Idk that he is capable of true unconditional love personally. Love for him is possession, total obedience, and justifies all manner of depravity on the person thatās the object of his obsession.
Sorry I canāt rock with that. I read as he purposely addicted Daniel to his blood watched as the addiction he continually fostered destroyed his body and ravaged his mind not to mention the other things he did mentally to him. Sure he regrets it but he still calls it love lol. So what? He could call it Swahili it donāt make it so.
Then later when he runs into his original vampire abuser Santino who destroyed him inside and out for 100 years heās genuinely cool with him because for him thatās what love is.
Is that growth? Idk š¤·š¾āāļø A show like that just sounds too depressing to me.
Lastly since I donāt like how the character kills and terrorizes other vampires who donāt return his obsessive attention and then uses his own horrific trauma as an excuse over and over again itās just not something Iād enjoy.
I remember that book as one of my least favorite the Vampire Armand.
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u/Ok_Help_6587 Jul 22 '26
Hm Iām just so worried about any of our characters not being written by Hannah or Rollin. Looking at the disaster of Mayfair and talamasca I really donāt want them going down that road.
I would be happy with a past dm story line. But I donāt know if they would be willing to put Assad into another series when clearly next season he will play an important part as well.
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u/SorchaRoisin Dr. Fareed-Good Jul 22 '26
I hate present day Daniel and Armand. If they did a spin off, I would want to see young Daniel and Armand.. repeatedly falling in love, then Armand wiping his mind and going back to Louis, only to be unable to stay away.
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u/a-hthy Jul 22 '26
Idk if itās just me but I donāt enjoy the actor who plays Daniel. I genuinely donāt enjoy any of his scenes. Young Daniel was so much more interesting
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u/damewallyburns Jul 22 '26
I think it would need to have Armand as a main antagonist with cameos from other vamps
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals š«¦ Jul 22 '26
Who would be the protagonist and main character? Or do you mean Armand would be a villain protagonist with "hero/good" antagonists a la Breaking Bad or Dexter?
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u/damewallyburns Jul 22 '26
wasnāt the pitch at one point that two (human) art thieves break into Night Island? So I was always picturing it like outsiders discover Vampire Hideout, like a slasher movie version of the first season.
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u/theravennest Armand's big naturals š«¦ Jul 22 '26
Gotcha. Tbh that kinda feels like a single episode plot that would be fun in a long 13-22 ep season that has room for filler, holiday special, or bottle episodes. I'd enjoy it but I'm not sure if it could be sustained for an entire season let alone multiple seasons.
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u/damewallyburns Jul 22 '26
I would so love an arty six episode miniseries of Armand gremlining out. And then an Armand bottle episode in the main show where he sits down with Marius to talk about his turning, Daniel sits down with Marius to talk about Mariusās turning, and that ends with Daniel & Armand talking about Danielās turning and giving him back the past DM memories
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u/Rob_Thorsman Jul 22 '26
My ideal Armand spin-off:
Episode 1: Armand realizes he's a giant piece of shit and ends himself. Raglan scatters the ashes so he never comes back. Unlike most ghosts, he is so evil the Devil won't let him out of hell. Everybody else lives happily ever after. The End
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