Will a doge twinkie appease you a little? As a peace offering! I offer it in all seriousness, no sarcasm at all. He’s much twinkier than Armand, and delishus, too ❤

I thought I answered very thoughtfully here, and I guess I’m having trouble reconciling your statements here in yellow, (my own comments in blue):

I totally managed to misunderstand you, and then I got exactly what you meant? Are you concerned bc I put those opinions in blue under the cut? I do that to keep the post from going on too long, as ppl have told me that my responses can clutter their dash, so it’s more respectful, but for this post, I’ll just let it all hang out and go long, ok?

TL;DR: Hopefully we can agree that text sometimes sounds more or less emotional than it was intended when written, I certainly did not intend to be at all offensive or act like my opinion is any way the definitive authority on the matter, nor was I trying to be rude in the slightest, and I’m sorry that it came across that way, if it did.

Does it really suck for Armand to be in a position of being treated like a sex object? Yes, I bet it does. But he is aware, he is a student of sexuality, he’s interested in it and uses ppl’s perceptions to his advantage.

However, I recognize that this is a hot-button kind of topic in our fandom, so, okay, it’s worth delving into it a little deeper! Re: Armand being a “twink,” Part 2: 

Yes, it must suck to be forever seen as a sex object and having ppl throw themselves at you. And yet! There are all kinds of genders and ages of ppl who experience that on a daily or weekly basis.

Look at this recent story, just a few months ago (sorry I picked what appears to be a “pretty” cishet white girl, it’s just the most recent example I could think of and find an article for):

“A young woman is hitting back at the idea that women ‘invite’ catcalling by showing how it ‘doesn’t matter’ what you are wearing, it still happens.” [Source]

There are so many of these stories on a daily basis, all over the world, right in your face. It’s very disheartening. Sometimes it goes a lot farther than it did w/ Ms. Brandt. No matter how the victim is dressed. No matter what the victim looks like or acts like.

How does this apply to Armand tho??

I went over this with a fandom friend who preferred not to be credited, and they said some very smart things, which I’ll include below.

First, tho, I want to mention the obvious: our canon has a lot of sexuality in it. ALOT. Whether you believe the vampires are asexual or fully sexual in terms of penetrative sexual intercourse? That’s up to each reader to decide. We know AR’s stance on it, that they express sensuality differently than penetrative sexual intercourse. I have no need to convince anyone of what my own headcanon is re: this set of fictional characters’ sex lives.

Secondly, a lot of VC RP and fandom discussion often brings up sex as it pertains to this set of fictional characters. I would guess that’s because humans in general are intrigued by sex for so many reasons, not the least of which is the younger fandom ppl coming in who are curious about the role that sex plays in a relationship. Is it the real glue that binds a ship together? Can a ship sail on sex alone? SEX!

How does this apply to Armand tho????

Okay! Now we can address this. Fandom Friend says:

“I think you do actually agree with each other, though [Anon’s] message is confusing in that they start off sounding like they are simplifying [Armand] (he’s ‘just’ a twink) but end up defending his own pov, [which you also pointed out in your response], that he is well-aware of how he is perceived and that he mocks that tendency, to reduce him to a beautiful, sexually attractive youth/boy.”

Armand is one of the characters in canon that we tend to tease about sex often (more in fandom spaces than in canon), bc he had a rich sexual history in his mortal life (first against his will, and then as part of his education and completing the experiences of a Full Life). In vampirism he maintained the appearance that drew so many to him sexually.

Fandom Friend continues:

“it’s true that [Armand] is wanted by everyone, there’s a very nice quote somewhere in QotD about it, but the sexual component in Armand’s character is such an integral part of his amazing mental manipulations, that it really has nothing to do with sex in the end.”

Here’s the quote, where we can see Armand “paying forward” his own education on Daniel:

“Men and women fell in love with Armand, of course, “so innocent, so passionate, so brilliant!” You don’t say. In fact, Armand’s power to seduce was almost beyond his control. And it was Daniel who must bed these unfortunates, if Armand could possibly arrange it, while he watched from a chair nearby, a dark-eyed Cupid with a tender approving smile. Hot, nerve-searing, this witnessed passion, Daniel working the other body with ever greater abandon, aroused by the dual purpose of every intimate gesture. Yet he lay empty afterwards, staring at Armand, resentful, cold.“ – Queen of the Damned

“This is not Armand being sexual, it’s him being manipulative and Danny knows, which is why he is so pissed off!”

Armand is just as interested in sex as we are! He’s interested in the physical mechanics, he’s interested in the emotional connections that can be forged, he’s interested in the mystery of the act performed in a multitude of ways.

He’s interested in it from the perspective of deriving dominance through the act. Marking one’s property. So many other things that I haven’t discovered myself yet about what sex is!

So what’s my point with all this? Like I said before, in general I don’t like to categorize characters as one thing, they’re multi-dimensional, and they evolve and change through canon, despite their physical appearances staying the same.

Anyway I don’t want to argue the point any further, #your headcanon may vary!