Questions from betareject~
Leave me a comment saying "Boom-cha" and I will respond by asking you five questions that satisfy my curiosity. Update your journal with the answers to the questions, including this in the post.
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1. What gave you the idea of Bella and her relationship to Pavi?
I actually remember where I was when I got the inspiration to start working on Unmasking. Working in a rural convenience store (called a country store, aptly enough) over the summer left me little to do behind the cash. Rather, I spent most of my time cleaning and organizing the store, and such tedious work allowed my mind to wander. It was mid-late August, I had just gotten into Repo!, and my mind was searching for fanfic ideas. I had taken an almost immediate liking to Pavi's character, and it was my intent to write something that centered on him. But what? My previous fanfic from other fandoms always focussed on interaction between canon characters. And yet, for some reason, my mind drifted off to the concept of a romance between Pavi and an OFC. Taboo; I knew it even at the time, and yet my mind wouldn't let go of the concept. The same few lines kept repeating in my head, and a version of them can be found in the first chapter of the story:
"The Pavi Largos of this world do not feel love. Perhaps they feel a shallow imitation of the true emotion when they actually begin to get to know someone. When it comes to the real thing, however, they’ve not a clue how to recognize it."
It was mainly that first line that got me started. Yes, I wanted a romance, but we all know what Pavi is like. I knew from the beginning that there was a good chance that the ending was going to be less than happy. I knew the OFC (which, in some horrible way, is somewhat of a self-insert, but only because of the character's cynicism) was going to hate him, then be attracted to him unwillingly, then have her heart broken. I wanted her to fall for him against all of her wishes, but still loathe herself for it because she KNEW she was being a hypocrite. I didn't want her to be happy. I guess I'm cruel to my characters.
Maybe some of us have felt this way in love. We've fallen for the wrong person against all better judgment, but we don't let it consume us. Perhaps we're like my OFC, and realize that all of it's bullshit, but still resign ourselves to the situation. Or perhaps we start to delude ourselves, saying that it IS going to work out, that it IS meant to be. Either way, we're not going to get our happy ending. And it was my wish to shove this screwed up dynamic into their relationship. I'm not sure where the idea came from exactly--maybe it was my own cynicism that prompted it, and the knowledge that no relationship with Pavi could end well. A happy ending with Pavi means your OFC's name oughta be Mary-Sue.
Hey, angst is my thing.
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2. Can we look forward to new tales about Pavi and his Bella?
Oh, heavens, I wish. I would love to continue writing stories about those two, but my writer's block has been weighing me down for months now. I haven't been able to write anything, let alone fanfic. I began a couple more sequels, one of which that is posted and only half-completed, but I'm having such a hard time finishing anything. I feel like everything is forced and is just bad writing in general. Maybe the main thing holding me back is that I'm stuck. I know that I somehow want them to meet up again, maybe get their happy ending by some convoluted measure, but it's so damn difficult. I mean, it's Pavi. I never figured anyone like him could ever have a long-term relationship with a girl without screwing around or stealing her face. That's why, even though he was fascinated by this girl who refused to swoon whenever he was near, it still seems implausible that he should actually fall for her and have it actually be love.
My only idea would have worked better in pictures. Were I a better artist, I would have illustrated the sequel and set it to music. For a while, I listened to Lightning Crashes by Live over and over again. I know that the song is about miscarriage or something of the like, but when I listen to the chorus, I can't help but think of them...
I can feel it comin' back again
Like a rollin' thunder chasin' the wind
Forces pullin' from the center of the earth again
I can feel it
Don't ask me why, but...I had this mental image of Bella a few years later, married, and realizing that she's not happy. I won't go on in case I actually write the story. It's just unfortunate because I could see the entire thing in pictures, set to the song in question. I think that would have worked wonderfully well. Regardless, I will just sit, stare at Microsoft Word and hope that inspiration strikes me soon enough. 'Til then, my faithful readers, stay strong.
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3. I have to ask, why Pavi?
Oh, I've gotten this question before, just in a different context. Yes, I've always found something alluring about that strange black-haired man who wears women's faces and talks with a flamboyant Italian lilt. People may think I'm insane, but there's something about him that, shall I shall, turns my crank. As someone who hates players and people who sleep around, it makes no sense. I've tried to figure it out, but hey, who's to define the workings of lust?
Really, either of the Largo brothers would make for a good anti-romance tale. Luigi obviously has little or no capacity for romantic love, and Pavi just doesn't understand it. However, I found it would be easier to write a story in the self-delusion vein if the other half of the relationship could at least appear to be in love. If Luigi had been Bella's point of interest instead, a relationship in any shape or form would have never even come close to burgeoning. Yes, if Bella were to think she might be able to care for this person, and that that person might just care for her as well, then the object of her affection would have to at least exhibit some loving qualities. Hence...Pavi!
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4. What are your thoughts about the Largo kids and their relationships with one another?
I will admit that though I tried to resist the temptation, I'm a bit of a Largocest fan. The moment I fell in love with the movie Repo! was at the very beginning of Mark It Up.
Where the fuck is Dad, brothers?
He left me in charge, sister.
I don't take lip from a slut/cunt!
My brother and sister should fuck~
I was a bit flabbergasted, to tell the truth. It was sort of like an 'oh yes, they WENT there' reaction to the lyrics. Come on, you don't often find lines that blatantly crude; so, they happened to catch my...ear? Regardless, upon (multiple) rewatch(es), I discovered that this was a family so screwed up that the concept of incest wasn't exactly that far a stretch. By no means would any relationship between any of the siblings be a healthy one. No, such relationships would be just as violent, unfaithful and drugged out as the siblings themselves.
Even as someone who is generally squicked by incest pairings, I couldn't help but to start reading the Pavigi fics out there. It is too great a temptation, and oftentimes, the stories aren't too bad so long as they're kept in character. And if one chooses to dismiss the idea of Largocest...well, the family is dysfunctional, but that isn't to say they don't get along. Sure, maybe they piss each other off constantly, but it's banter. All siblings bicker now and then. It's just that, with the Largos, there will probably be a bit more stabbing and Zydrate involved.
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5. If you could re-write Repo what would you change? What would you keep? And why?
Less Shilo, more Largos. 'Nuff said.
Nah, I loved Nathan and his story, and to get rid of Shilo would pretty much mean to dismiss much of his tale. It's just a bit unfortunate that so much of the movie was Shilo-centric rather than focussed on the rest of the world that is Sanitarium Island. Frankly, the Largos as characters were far more eccentric and interesting, and I would have liked to have more emphasis placed on them. Heck, I would have even liked to have seen more of Graverobber now and then. Shilo just ended up being a whiny teen that grated on my nerves more than anything.
I'll just cross my fingers, hope for a sequel, and pray to Darren Bousman that Ogre, Bill and Paris get more screentime.
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Bahaha. Finally done.