[Pretty sure @ioananix is referring to the post @devilsviolinist wrote on Nicki survival theories here. It’s good! Check it out.]
Yep, AR has brought back a bunch of formerly-assumed-to-be-dead characters in PL, so it’s a real possibility!
…However, is this always a good thing? I still don’t like the way the mysterious musician from IWTV was brought back. @antoineandthepiano makes a valiant effort to make that character more likable in their RP of him, but in canon, I don’t feel like this character being brought back adds much to the story or changes the dynamic of the coven much. More thoughts on him under the cut bc I want to get to Nicolas.

[^X by @vampiredevelopment]
Bring Nicolas back and we might have interesting plot there! So many questions… Did he really intend to kill himself?
Did he intend to fake his suicide? Or did someone try to kill him? Did Eleni know? Was she in on any of this? Is there any possibility of civility between Nicolas and Lestat? The answers to those questions could lead to some great arguments, some great opening of old wounds, some healing, idk, ACTION. FEELS. CATFIGHTS.
There are a bunch of characters brought back in PL so it wouldn’t totally surprise me if AR brought Nicolas back in PLROA… The ones she’s brought back have hardly caused any ripple of conflict in the coven, and some ppl like fluff and peace, maybe some ppl are glad to have their characters back in any form, but it feels like unearned fluff and peace. I’d almost prefer that she leaves characters out rather than bring back such watered-down versions of them.
I feel like that musician character was a draft of Nicolas, and AR forgot about him until PL, or maybe Lestat was so embarrassed by that whole situation that’s why he never mentions him in canon until PL (which, btw, the series was allegedly over with Blood Canticle). “Antoine” comes in all meek and mild, is accepted with hardly any comment, and everything’s peaceful! There’s no real adjustment needed, they’re all fine with the fact that, idk, he tried to kill Louis (and Claudia!) some 150 yrs ago? Too much water under that bridge.
There was a fanfic that suggested the musician vampire rescued Lestat from the swamp and helped him heal well enough so that he could to steal the Dark Gift from him, that would have been a lot more heartbreaking! Taking advantage of Lestat in his weakened condition like that ;A;