#sorry i took so long to answer this i wanted to write something comprehensive 😭

[vesper100]

jumping in on the OC questions, we know he's sick in the head, but what is Rodolf like to the other monks? does he put up with anselm......does he know what gregor is up to.......

Well his whole life since he can remember has been devoted to the church, scripture, monastic practice. He was basically prepped to be a religious leader of sorts since infancy, so when it comes to anything like that - piety, spiritual guidance, etc - he's the perfect figure to turn to. He commands a lot of respect and reverence from his abbey. Anselm looks up to him lovingly, Rodolf feels the same impassive fatherly duty towards him as he feels towards all the brothers under his care. Gregor DESPISES him and Rodolf is too detatched to take it personally and just kind of views him as a lost impious soul in need of guidance.

But also because the church is the ONLY thing he's ever known his interpersonal skills are..... Lacking... He can't really understand personal feelings or problems outside of the lens of scriptural philosophies. If something horrifying happened to you then it was because God willed it, if you're unsure or lost then you just aren't devout enough, that kind of thing. He's not remotely cruel or hostile, but can come across really cold and sterile just because his nature has no warmth to it whatsoever. He kind of operates under the values of fear and reverence, because that's how he learned to view 'love' growing up. When Rodolf says he loves god, he means it, but what he is actually feeling is a mixture of fear and reverence. When he acknowledge's other's love of him, he means he is aware that they fear and revere him.

All this being said, he's still human (as much as he doesn't believe it). Rodolf is a socially composed person and polite and rational enough around others but he's REALLY unpersonable and awkward and sucks at entertaining guests at the abbey... Like a guest could make a joke to him and I doubt he'd react and you wouldn't be able to tell if it's because he doesn't get it (sheltered) or doesn't think it's funny (stoic). He's kind of reclusive just because interacting with people outside of ecclesiastical duties is kind of exhausting for him lollll