Posted by Cecilia on November 18, 1997 at 17:57:55:
In Reply to: Re: Santino vs. Armand posted by LP on November 18, 1997 at 16:10:02:
: Wait, wait, wait. Marius didn't have time? I will give the fact that not everything can be taught in six months, but the very fact that Marius kept Armand so protected was his own fault. Marius didn't even *try*. He didn't tell Armand anything about other vampires, how to protect himself. Armand wasn't even told how they (the other vampires) could hurt them.
: Armand was in awe of Marius. Yes, there was love there, but it was not an equal love. Armand's life was probably for the first time happy. That is what Santino really stole: his happiness.
Well, at last we agree in some point.
: Armand's link was so strong with Marius because he was so young. He still needed an adult figure in his life. He needed the "Master". Marius should not have made him so young, and either way Armand should not have been kept in the dark about the other vampires in the world, those who would try and hunt, hurt, or kill him. That was Marius' failing. The entire weight of the blame cannot be put on Santino's shoulders.
Wait, there's no need to go around stealing other vampire's fledgings.
: And now the immortal, undying question. Why didn't Marius come after Armand and rescue him? Surely there would have been one point at which it was possible. I don't buy the arguement that Armand had changed too much or was no longer the same. I don't have a response, but I don't believe that one.
It seemed Marius never found the courage to look for Armand when he could. But we are not discussing Marius here. I didn't like, though, the fact that he went searching for Lestat (and I do like Lestat).
: But. Discussion! *whine*.
: That's just Louis. The fault is not his own. Hmm...that might be a good point for my paper...
: Armand thought he needed Louis. I think he also thought he could
: 1) make Louis love him, or that Louis would eventually love him, or
: 2) really get back at Lestat for his rejection. Yes he craved love, but I don't think Armand is above a little retribution and revenge against those who spurn him.
That's true. I think Armand loved Lestat more than Louis.
He knew that the coven had to change with the times, because he was coven leader, and was therefore the one who indoctrinated the new members. These new members did not have the same religious mindset as the "original" coven, so he had to continue to be innovative, as with any other political leader.
Then why he abandoned the coven?
Armand however, went to a different country, one not nearly as religious as Italia, started his own coven, took it over, whatever, and set to using a rigid code. This code appears not to have changed since he was originally taught it. So in a very unreligious time period, Armand is still harking back to archaic practices. Yet when Lestat travels to teh Roman coven, he finds that the coven had changed with the times.
Well, Armand was young in mortal years and that somehow has an influence. And I will repeat myself, he didn't care about anything.
: I don't think that Santino tried to teach him the strategy behind the laws. Or else Armand *really* does not have a head for strategy, which even I do not believe, since I know exactly how easy it is to lose a game of chess. And Armand held his own for a while with other chess players.
Tsk, tsk, blaming the student?
: Why? I honestly do think that Santino has a better head for strategy than Armand.
If that is true, what did he obtain from leading the coven? He couldn't even get to his primal objective, Those who must be Kept. He failed there.
I'll ask you a question now, why didn't Santino kill Armand?
Cecilia