altocello | Odi et Amo {art} (Reply)

Title: Odi et Amo (I Hate and I Love)
Rating: G
Character: Frank Randall
This is the fourth in my Outlander portrait series. How to encapsulate the enigma that is Frank Randall in a title? Words that came to mind when trying to get at the heart of his relationship with Claire and Jamie included: bittersweet, revenge, love, obligation, fidelity, betrayal, enigma, and redoubt (he is, for good or ill, Claire's fallback position). With all of that in mind I went digging into Latin love poems, thinking that a title in Latin would be fitting for a scholar such as Frank. And, lo! I found not only our famous, "Da Mi Basia Mille" poem by Catullus, but also this gem:

Catullus LXXXV

Odi et amo. quare id faciam, fortasse requiris?
nescio, sed fieri sentio et excrucior.

I hate and I love. How can I do that, you might ask me perhaps?
I do not know. But that's what I feel and this is torture.

And that, right there. That's Frank.

Many thanks to

amphigoury and

alby_mangroves for the beta help, and to

jelazakazone,

rocknvaughn, and

gwyntastic for cheering me on!

Medium: Drawn in GIMP with a digital tablet on a Mac

Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fanwork; no harm intended, no money made. Do not repost without my explicit permission.