I didn't authorise this, damn it.
It's really frustrating when your fic has such a long life as a WIP that it starts livin' it up without your consent. I thought this story was about something entirely different, damn it.
In a way, I like the without-thinking-about-it-turn things seem to be taking, because I was always somewhat torn on how well my Rodolphus fit into the whole idea anyway, but I'm still confused now.
The problem is probably that I'm not entirely sure, not even after over two years of working these characterisations - how I want it ("it" meaning what his story regarding the marriage is; 'is he or isn't he in love with her', basically.) I've always taken major Issues with how fanon loves to have him as some hopeless bastard craving Bella's affections. I could make this into a small thesis but I doubt anyone is very interested so I'll keep it to this: I doubt that anyone who married Bellatrix Black, after having known her their whole lives - didn't know what he was in for. And that knowing that was precisely why he did it in the first place.
And I just don't like making the whole B/R/LV thing into some standard triangle: these people are lot sicker than that, really. Basically, they're two fanatics, one of them more resembling a normal person on the surface (that'd be him; I think he has a wider....world view, spectrum, than she does, or bothers to have. In a way, I think he is even more complicated than she is: in this life, he's a fanatic but in another world, he would live another way.)
I don't know, I just can't figure out where he stands on the issue. Or if it's even an issue: I always thought this fic would be about whether he was in love with her or not, but now it doesn't seem to want to be like that.
Now it seems to be about the fanatic and maybe-there-could-have-been-another-life parts of Rodolphus are clashing post-Halloween 1981, which is an interesting concept in it self, actually. There's a choice I've created, that I rather like: The mistress, who is deeply in love with him, or the wife who isn't but that represents and with him shares everything he has made his life about? Which - who - is more important? We know who won (but whether it was Bella or Voldemort is another question...) - but getting him there is sort of Snape-ifying him in reverse.
Sounds better than I thought five minutes ago, actually.
Also, I love Rodolphus/Mrs Zabini these days. More and more, and here I thought I didn't understand all the Really Random ships of fanon (well, IMO, it isn't that random, but that's probably only because I can barely remember how I made it up in the first place.)
In a way, I like the without-thinking-about-it-turn things seem to be taking, because I was always somewhat torn on how well my Rodolphus fit into the whole idea anyway, but I'm still confused now.
The problem is probably that I'm not entirely sure, not even after over two years of working these characterisations - how I want it ("it" meaning what his story regarding the marriage is; 'is he or isn't he in love with her', basically.) I've always taken major Issues with how fanon loves to have him as some hopeless bastard craving Bella's affections. I could make this into a small thesis but I doubt anyone is very interested so I'll keep it to this: I doubt that anyone who married Bellatrix Black, after having known her their whole lives - didn't know what he was in for. And that knowing that was precisely why he did it in the first place.
And I just don't like making the whole B/R/LV thing into some standard triangle: these people are lot sicker than that, really. Basically, they're two fanatics, one of them more resembling a normal person on the surface (that'd be him; I think he has a wider....world view, spectrum, than she does, or bothers to have. In a way, I think he is even more complicated than she is: in this life, he's a fanatic but in another world, he would live another way.)
I don't know, I just can't figure out where he stands on the issue. Or if it's even an issue: I always thought this fic would be about whether he was in love with her or not, but now it doesn't seem to want to be like that.
Now it seems to be about the fanatic and maybe-there-could-have-been-another-life parts of Rodolphus are clashing post-Halloween 1981, which is an interesting concept in it self, actually. There's a choice I've created, that I rather like: The mistress, who is deeply in love with him, or the wife who isn't but that represents and with him shares everything he has made his life about? Which - who - is more important? We know who won (but whether it was Bella or Voldemort is another question...) - but getting him there is sort of Snape-ifying him in reverse.
Sounds better than I thought five minutes ago, actually.
Also, I love Rodolphus/Mrs Zabini these days. More and more, and here I thought I didn't understand all the Really Random ships of fanon (well, IMO, it isn't that random, but that's probably only because I can barely remember how I made it up in the first place.)