Goodness, I worried so much about the balance between Rolanda and Ted in this! Rolanda is as new as anything can be, in a world this small, and she shouldn’t be a replacement for Ted, as you say. The conclusion is supposed to feel like a hopeful beginning, not a further downward spiral. But Ted *is* so much of Andromeda’s life. I’m glad that her grief and love for him landed with you! Theirs must have been a romance for the ages, considering how much of her life she changed to be with him. I’m realizing now that this was my opportunity to actually write about Ted from Andy’s perspective, and it’s amazing how that changes your impression of him, yeah?
The Blacks’ notion of family is probably the most interesting in the fandom. They clearly feel a very strong bond to each other, and I think any treatment of them that tries to write around that is going to have trouble. I find it more affecting to go through the mess of it and let Andromeda have her feelings about her sisters. But their family is also so famously insular, and I think it takes a huge amount of work to break into it as a newcomer—Ted did, Andromeda chose him, and he proved himself by being there until his death. Rolanda easily communicates that she understands the complexities of family. Remus made about the worst first-impression that he could have for this family and died before he could correct it. Andromeda can acknowledge that without actually liking him. Harry is coming to the family through Remus, that son-in-law she detests, and I don’t think she will ever really like him as a result. She’s counting the days until he marries and has his own kids.
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Date: 2021-06-25 05:39 pm (UTC)The Blacks’ notion of family is probably the most interesting in the fandom. They clearly feel a very strong bond to each other, and I think any treatment of them that tries to write around that is going to have trouble. I find it more affecting to go through the mess of it and let Andromeda have her feelings about her sisters. But their family is also so famously insular, and I think it takes a huge amount of work to break into it as a newcomer—Ted did, Andromeda chose him, and he proved himself by being there until his death. Rolanda easily communicates that she understands the complexities of family. Remus made about the worst first-impression that he could have for this family and died before he could correct it. Andromeda can acknowledge that without actually liking him. Harry is coming to the family through Remus, that son-in-law she detests, and I don’t think she will ever really like him as a result. She’s counting the days until he marries and has his own kids.