I think the idea of Draco's Dark Mark was left ambiguous by JKR purposefully to represent the fact that the character himself ends up being slightly ambiguous? I mean, we never get any real kind of resolution for Draco (which I personally find frustrating as we know, lol), and I feel like the Dark Mark is a symbol of that overarching ambiguity. Which, really, if the choice is between Draco being ambiguous or being irredeemably evil, then I will take the ambiguity every single time, to be honest.
What I do like about the ambiguity in canon is how it involves Harry: it basically becomes his own headcanon - all of the things that he sees as 'proof' (borgin and burkes, madam malkins etc) could also have another interpretation. And i think that opens up a whole load of different theories that we see across fanfic, and none of them are specifically 'right' or 'wrong'. (Which conversely is also why I have such issues with that bloody epilogue, but that's a discussion/rant for another day, lol!)
But this is why I don't give a flying fuck over what she says in interviews or on Pottermore after the fact. Every little bit of information she gives out after the fact, my reaction is always "huh, that's interesting, but you should have put it explicitly in the actual books if you wanted me to think that as canon." So, to me, Dumbledore is not gay, and her statement after the fact is just an interesting and pleasing authorial interpretation; it's nice that she sees it the same way I do. So, if this new Draco "News" is about whether or not Draco took the Mark, then my reaction is just going to be "huh, cool story bro" *continues to read fics both with and without the mark*.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2014-12-20 10:55 am (UTC)What I do like about the ambiguity in canon is how it involves Harry: it basically becomes his own headcanon - all of the things that he sees as 'proof' (borgin and burkes, madam malkins etc) could also have another interpretation. And i think that opens up a whole load of different theories that we see across fanfic, and none of them are specifically 'right' or 'wrong'. (Which conversely is also why I have such issues with that bloody epilogue, but that's a discussion/rant for another day, lol!)
But this is why I don't give a flying fuck over what she says in interviews or on Pottermore after the fact. Every little bit of information she gives out after the fact, my reaction is always "huh, that's interesting, but you should have put it explicitly in the actual books if you wanted me to think that as canon." So, to me, Dumbledore is not gay, and her statement after the fact is just an interesting and pleasing authorial interpretation; it's nice that she sees it the same way I do. So, if this new Draco "News" is about whether or not Draco took the Mark, then my reaction is just going to be "huh, cool story bro" *continues to read fics both with and without the mark*.