The voices in my head
Feb. 24th, 2006 09:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lls_mutantI should be writing my remix (which should more accurately be called "the extended edition") or AIL 11. Or reviews for MRFH, before Justin has my head. But instead, the voices in my head started talking, and I started talking back.
Lissa: Good morning. Today's guest on Graying Hairs is Damien Lupin, who is Remus's father in the Deny Thy Father/Mentors/Accidentally In Love fanfiction series based on the popular Harry Potter novels. Damien, thank you for joining me today.
Damien: My pleasure.
Lissa: Before we begin, I'd like to remind all of our viewers (and our guest) that this interview may contain very vague spoilers for Accidentally In Love, but we'll keep the specifics to ourselves. Of course, Damien even being here today may constitute as a spoiler, but as I based him on the description of Rufus Scrimgeour and several people have caught on to that, that right there should tell you that Damien survives.
Damien: At least until the book six timeline.
Lissa: Well, yes. Let's get started. Damien, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? We know that you're an Auror, a widower, and have a son, but we really don't know much about your life before Deny Thy Father begins.
Damien: It wasn't all that interesting, to be truthful. My parents were a witch and a wizard, and I have two brothers, Adrian and Christian.
Lissa: Oooh. I like those names.
Damien: (sour glance) Really. Regardless, I was in Ravenclaw at Hogwarts, where I played Beater on my House team and was a Prefect. I got taken on for Auror training right away and was an Auror for several years. Sometime in there I met Marilyn and we eventually got married. You know the rest.
Lissa: Not really. We knew all that from the stories. Let's talk about you and Marilyn for a moment. Marilyn was a Muggle. You’re a wizard. How did you meet her?
Damien: I met her at the University, actually. I needed some information from the Muggle library for a case I was working on. Marilyn was there.
Lissa: Somehow I suspect her version is much more romantic and detailed.
Damien: Yes, well, if you wanted to romantic version you should have asked her. I know she's dead, but you're the author. You could.
Lissa: I'm the author, not God. I can't speak to the dead.
Damien: (shakes his head.) Right. Back to the subject, I met her in the library, and at the time, was very grateful I did for an entirely different reason. The case I was working on involved chemistry, and while I understand Potions, the deep understanding I needed in this case eluded me. Marilyn was an excellent chemist, and she was able to help me.
Lissa: I know a lot of my readers are probably surprised that the two of you got together. No offense, but you're not the most approachable person.
Damien: I used to be better. But having your four year old son mauled by a werewolf and then trying to protect him from the world after that does tend to make a person bitter.
Lissa: I see. That also cost you your job as an Auror, right?
Damien: I thought you were the one that was looking for new information.
Lissa: It's called a segue way, stupid. Let's try this again. That also cost you your job as an Auror, right?
Damien: Right. And let's not go into that crap about "how did that make you feel?"
Lissa: Touchy, touchy. This is an interview, not a psychoanalysis session. What I wanted to ask you about was Alastor Moody.
Damien: Oh. I've got to give Moody credit- he was the one person that actually fought for me to keep my job.
Lissa: I do notice he's not as paranoid in Accidentally In Love as he is in the Harry Potter series.
Damien: Did you expect him to be? Moody became paranoid because of the things he's seen. Accidentally in Love is set fifteen years before we meet Moody in Goblet of Fire. Or Crouch, rather, but since he's pulling off a good Moody impression- oh, that makes my head hurt. But he developed into the person he is now. But yes, at the time, he was nowhere near as paranoid. But what I always liked about him was that he was fair. Not nice, fair.
Lissa: He helped you out a lot, didn't he?
Damien: He did. I was essentially his shadow, like Sirius was mine, when I was training to be an Auror. But once Remus was bitten, Moody was one of the few that still actually attempted to maintain a normal relationship with myself and Marilyn.
Lissa: There's an incident that's been alluded to a few times where children chased Remus while throwing rocks at him.
Damien: Yes, and it would be nice if you would finish that story one day. It happened when Remus was six. I don't really know how it started, but we couldn't find Remus for several days. That was when I had the heart attack. Moody found Remus while I was in St. Mungo's. And if you don't mind, I don't really like talking about it.
Lissa: ::sniffs:: Fine. Be that way. Damien, I'm not sure how to put this, but a lot of my readers don't like you.
Damien: That seemed a pretty clear and succinct way to put it to me.
Lissa: Okay then. A lot of my readers don't like you. Do you care to comment on that?
Damien: In the story I'd probably scowl at them and tell them to fuck off.
Lissa: That sounds about right. But seriously. You're very strict.
Damien: Well, yes. Look at the trouble Remus got up to in school and then tell me he was a perfect little angel at home. But beyond that, it's for his own good. Marilyn always called it overprotective.
Lissa: Just out of curiosity, do you ever tell your son you love him?
Damien: Stop being soppy. Not in so many words, but he knows it.
Lissa: Okay then. You're also perceived as very homophobic. Even though you listen to Queen.
Damien: I admit, it was a shock to me when I found out Freddie Mercury was gay. I didn't see that coming.
Lissa: Mmmhmm. Why don't we stick to your son?
Damien: (sighs sullenly) Fine. Look, it's not that I'm homophobic. On an academic level, I don't care so much these days. But then it was the 1970's. Being gay wasn't common- or at least, it wasn't as commonly admitted. And the life that goes with it- the sort of treatment these people get- no father wants that for their son.
Lissa: That, I can respect.
Damien: There's also the absolute truth that there are two kinds of people in this world that never have sex: your parents and your children. When your child is straight, you don't have to think about their sex life so much. It's not a focus. Well, it is, at some times, but it's also not something that you feel as compelled to think about because you know what that sort of sex is like. So you can brush the details to the back of your mind. When your child tells you he's gay, that almost forces you to start imagining your child in a sexual situation. And that's very uncomfortable.
Lissa: Wow. That was actually pretty insightful.
Damien: Given that you write me, you do realize you just complimented yourself, right?
Lissa: (cheerfully.) Yup.
Damien: Right then. So anyway, I wouldn't so much call myself homophobic as overprotective. Pretty much everything I do that seems objectionable stems from the desire to protect my family. They're really my prime motivation.
Lissa: Like you said, I write you. I know this.
Damien: Yes, but I like to talk about myself. It's another reason people don't get on very well with me.
Lissa: I really did make you kind of hard to get along with, didn't I?
Damien: Only because I'm a manifestation of some of the qualities that make it hard for you to get along with people. You know, most people do their self-insertion into pretty little girls with silver hair and violet eyes-
Lissa: You've been reading Clash of Kings over my shoulder, haven't you?
Damien: -and beautiful singing voices. You put yours into a middle aged man with a wife and a kid.
Lissa: Yeah, well, you're not my only self-insertion character.
Damien: I'm not? (sniffs) I feel so betrayed. Who else?
Lissa: Well, I'm a chemist, so Marilyn for one. But all of the characters have a little bit of me, even those that J.K. Rowling created. But yes. You're stubborn, you speak before you think, and you can be so emotionally insensitive people want to whack you over the head. I admit you're an exaggeration of me, and you are your own character, you and Marilyn are my yin and yang. Marilyn is the parts of me that I like, you're the parts of me I don't always like.
Damien: Gee. Thanks.
Lissa: No problem. For the record, I actually admire you immensely. While many of my readers don't like you, you're one of my favorite characters.
Damien: Why's that?
Lissa: You're strong. Very strong. But in a realistic sort of way. And you don't care what the world thinks.
Damien: That's an oversimplification. I do care what the world thinks- I just want to fight the world.
Lissa: Okay, I'd agree with that. But you have more courage than a lot of my characters. So I really respect you for that. Plus, you're hot.
Damien: Well, thank you. But that was, erm, deep.
Lissa: Yeah, I know. But speaking of those rippling pectorals, how did you get so into boxing?
Damien: (blank look) Weren't we just talking about self-insertion? Honestly, woman. I'm into boxing because you box and I listen to Queen because you do. Aren't you supposed to be smart?
Lissa: Yes, but like you, I like talking about myself.
Damien: Oh, good. It's a wonder we've gotten this far in the conversation.
Lissa: Well, considering you're a figment of my imagination and I'm interviewing you, I essentially am talking about myself in talking about you.
Damien: Okay, now my head really hurts. I'm going to go take an aspirin and lie down. You should go take a shower before your son wakes up. You stink.
Lissa: Gee, thanks. Although it is true. So, thank you for joining us today, Damien, and I hope our guests have enjoyed this as much as I have.
Damien: Same here.
Lissa: We have some time for questions from the audience. Any questions?
Lissa: Good morning. Today's guest on Graying Hairs is Damien Lupin, who is Remus's father in the Deny Thy Father/Mentors/Accidentally In Love fanfiction series based on the popular Harry Potter novels. Damien, thank you for joining me today.
Damien: My pleasure.
Lissa: Before we begin, I'd like to remind all of our viewers (and our guest) that this interview may contain very vague spoilers for Accidentally In Love, but we'll keep the specifics to ourselves. Of course, Damien even being here today may constitute as a spoiler, but as I based him on the description of Rufus Scrimgeour and several people have caught on to that, that right there should tell you that Damien survives.
Damien: At least until the book six timeline.
Lissa: Well, yes. Let's get started. Damien, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself? We know that you're an Auror, a widower, and have a son, but we really don't know much about your life before Deny Thy Father begins.
Damien: It wasn't all that interesting, to be truthful. My parents were a witch and a wizard, and I have two brothers, Adrian and Christian.
Lissa: Oooh. I like those names.
Damien: (sour glance) Really. Regardless, I was in Ravenclaw at Hogwarts, where I played Beater on my House team and was a Prefect. I got taken on for Auror training right away and was an Auror for several years. Sometime in there I met Marilyn and we eventually got married. You know the rest.
Lissa: Not really. We knew all that from the stories. Let's talk about you and Marilyn for a moment. Marilyn was a Muggle. You’re a wizard. How did you meet her?
Damien: I met her at the University, actually. I needed some information from the Muggle library for a case I was working on. Marilyn was there.
Lissa: Somehow I suspect her version is much more romantic and detailed.
Damien: Yes, well, if you wanted to romantic version you should have asked her. I know she's dead, but you're the author. You could.
Lissa: I'm the author, not God. I can't speak to the dead.
Damien: (shakes his head.) Right. Back to the subject, I met her in the library, and at the time, was very grateful I did for an entirely different reason. The case I was working on involved chemistry, and while I understand Potions, the deep understanding I needed in this case eluded me. Marilyn was an excellent chemist, and she was able to help me.
Lissa: I know a lot of my readers are probably surprised that the two of you got together. No offense, but you're not the most approachable person.
Damien: I used to be better. But having your four year old son mauled by a werewolf and then trying to protect him from the world after that does tend to make a person bitter.
Lissa: I see. That also cost you your job as an Auror, right?
Damien: I thought you were the one that was looking for new information.
Lissa: It's called a segue way, stupid. Let's try this again. That also cost you your job as an Auror, right?
Damien: Right. And let's not go into that crap about "how did that make you feel?"
Lissa: Touchy, touchy. This is an interview, not a psychoanalysis session. What I wanted to ask you about was Alastor Moody.
Damien: Oh. I've got to give Moody credit- he was the one person that actually fought for me to keep my job.
Lissa: I do notice he's not as paranoid in Accidentally In Love as he is in the Harry Potter series.
Damien: Did you expect him to be? Moody became paranoid because of the things he's seen. Accidentally in Love is set fifteen years before we meet Moody in Goblet of Fire. Or Crouch, rather, but since he's pulling off a good Moody impression- oh, that makes my head hurt. But he developed into the person he is now. But yes, at the time, he was nowhere near as paranoid. But what I always liked about him was that he was fair. Not nice, fair.
Lissa: He helped you out a lot, didn't he?
Damien: He did. I was essentially his shadow, like Sirius was mine, when I was training to be an Auror. But once Remus was bitten, Moody was one of the few that still actually attempted to maintain a normal relationship with myself and Marilyn.
Lissa: There's an incident that's been alluded to a few times where children chased Remus while throwing rocks at him.
Damien: Yes, and it would be nice if you would finish that story one day. It happened when Remus was six. I don't really know how it started, but we couldn't find Remus for several days. That was when I had the heart attack. Moody found Remus while I was in St. Mungo's. And if you don't mind, I don't really like talking about it.
Lissa: ::sniffs:: Fine. Be that way. Damien, I'm not sure how to put this, but a lot of my readers don't like you.
Damien: That seemed a pretty clear and succinct way to put it to me.
Lissa: Okay then. A lot of my readers don't like you. Do you care to comment on that?
Damien: In the story I'd probably scowl at them and tell them to fuck off.
Lissa: That sounds about right. But seriously. You're very strict.
Damien: Well, yes. Look at the trouble Remus got up to in school and then tell me he was a perfect little angel at home. But beyond that, it's for his own good. Marilyn always called it overprotective.
Lissa: Just out of curiosity, do you ever tell your son you love him?
Damien: Stop being soppy. Not in so many words, but he knows it.
Lissa: Okay then. You're also perceived as very homophobic. Even though you listen to Queen.
Damien: I admit, it was a shock to me when I found out Freddie Mercury was gay. I didn't see that coming.
Lissa: Mmmhmm. Why don't we stick to your son?
Damien: (sighs sullenly) Fine. Look, it's not that I'm homophobic. On an academic level, I don't care so much these days. But then it was the 1970's. Being gay wasn't common- or at least, it wasn't as commonly admitted. And the life that goes with it- the sort of treatment these people get- no father wants that for their son.
Lissa: That, I can respect.
Damien: There's also the absolute truth that there are two kinds of people in this world that never have sex: your parents and your children. When your child is straight, you don't have to think about their sex life so much. It's not a focus. Well, it is, at some times, but it's also not something that you feel as compelled to think about because you know what that sort of sex is like. So you can brush the details to the back of your mind. When your child tells you he's gay, that almost forces you to start imagining your child in a sexual situation. And that's very uncomfortable.
Lissa: Wow. That was actually pretty insightful.
Damien: Given that you write me, you do realize you just complimented yourself, right?
Lissa: (cheerfully.) Yup.
Damien: Right then. So anyway, I wouldn't so much call myself homophobic as overprotective. Pretty much everything I do that seems objectionable stems from the desire to protect my family. They're really my prime motivation.
Lissa: Like you said, I write you. I know this.
Damien: Yes, but I like to talk about myself. It's another reason people don't get on very well with me.
Lissa: I really did make you kind of hard to get along with, didn't I?
Damien: Only because I'm a manifestation of some of the qualities that make it hard for you to get along with people. You know, most people do their self-insertion into pretty little girls with silver hair and violet eyes-
Lissa: You've been reading Clash of Kings over my shoulder, haven't you?
Damien: -and beautiful singing voices. You put yours into a middle aged man with a wife and a kid.
Lissa: Yeah, well, you're not my only self-insertion character.
Damien: I'm not? (sniffs) I feel so betrayed. Who else?
Lissa: Well, I'm a chemist, so Marilyn for one. But all of the characters have a little bit of me, even those that J.K. Rowling created. But yes. You're stubborn, you speak before you think, and you can be so emotionally insensitive people want to whack you over the head. I admit you're an exaggeration of me, and you are your own character, you and Marilyn are my yin and yang. Marilyn is the parts of me that I like, you're the parts of me I don't always like.
Damien: Gee. Thanks.
Lissa: No problem. For the record, I actually admire you immensely. While many of my readers don't like you, you're one of my favorite characters.
Damien: Why's that?
Lissa: You're strong. Very strong. But in a realistic sort of way. And you don't care what the world thinks.
Damien: That's an oversimplification. I do care what the world thinks- I just want to fight the world.
Lissa: Okay, I'd agree with that. But you have more courage than a lot of my characters. So I really respect you for that. Plus, you're hot.
Damien: Well, thank you. But that was, erm, deep.
Lissa: Yeah, I know. But speaking of those rippling pectorals, how did you get so into boxing?
Damien: (blank look) Weren't we just talking about self-insertion? Honestly, woman. I'm into boxing because you box and I listen to Queen because you do. Aren't you supposed to be smart?
Lissa: Yes, but like you, I like talking about myself.
Damien: Oh, good. It's a wonder we've gotten this far in the conversation.
Lissa: Well, considering you're a figment of my imagination and I'm interviewing you, I essentially am talking about myself in talking about you.
Damien: Okay, now my head really hurts. I'm going to go take an aspirin and lie down. You should go take a shower before your son wakes up. You stink.
Lissa: Gee, thanks. Although it is true. So, thank you for joining us today, Damien, and I hope our guests have enjoyed this as much as I have.
Damien: Same here.
Lissa: We have some time for questions from the audience. Any questions?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 03:42 pm (UTC)Too incoherent for any questions, but let Damien know that I am now officially his number one fangirl and I need an icon and his phone number.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:14 am (UTC)But in lieu of that, have another sexy icon. (I know you've seen this one, but you can't see it too often.)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 01:14 am (UTC)No, no -- you really can't. 'Tis a wondrous sight indeed.
*snerk*
Date: 2006-02-24 03:46 pm (UTC)Nice picture of you, btw.
Re: *snerk*
Date: 2006-02-25 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 05:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 08:46 pm (UTC)Icon Love!
*leaves quickly*
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:13 am (UTC)I think people either love Damien or hate him as a person. He's a fun character, because he does act on such extremes. I love that about him.
And cool! :)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 08:18 pm (UTC)Loved this! Insightful and funny all at once.
And, okay, one question:
[Damien says] Accidentally in Love is set fifteen years before we meet Moody in Goblet of Fire.
I had it in my mind that Remus' parents would both be dead by the time we get to Harry's school years. So - is Damien stepping outside himself to observe this, or is he still alive then?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:04 am (UTC)Damien is actually still alive during Harry's school years. I've known this because one of my long-shot bets was that the lion-man behind the door was Remus's father, and that's where Damien got his physical description from. (It's also why my Remus has amber eyes- Damien has them.) The bet didn't work out, but by then I knew exactly what happened in AIL and wasn't changing it. (It's also one of the reasons that I couldn't have killed Damien over Marilyn, as someone had said I should do.)
Probably shouldn't say much more though!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:11 am (UTC)You mean Rufus? OMG, if that's what you mean, where is that passage? It's been driving me NUTS.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:12 am (UTC)And yup- that was exactly who I meant. :)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-28 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 08:44 pm (UTC)Who doesn't like Damien? Who? I demand to know!
Pfft! I love Damien. He's very well written and we know why he's the way he is to Sirius and once he trusts him, they're all okey-dokey and happy-sappy and all that jazz. He's strict but alot of pops are. And...when he's questioning Remus about the homosexuallity, it makes Damien more realistic to be acting that way. That scene was totally believeable because of the way the characters reacted with one another.
*walks away grumbling about Damien haters*
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 10:51 pm (UTC)*blushes*
Very cute interview!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:06 am (UTC)Yeah, as you can guess, it's not that people think he's a bad character. In fact, I've gotten a lot of comments on the character himself. It's just they don't like him as a person, and I can't blame people. I think Damien is someone you would either really like, or really not like. Very few people seem indifferent to him- both as readers and the characters. He really can be a jerk at times!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-24 09:25 pm (UTC)When your child tells you he's gay, that almost forces you to start imagining your child in a sexual situation. And that's very uncomfortable.
Lissa: Wow. That was actually pretty insightful.
Damien: Given that you write me, you do realize you just complimented yourself, right?
Lissa: (cheerfully.) Yup.
Oh that's priceless. :-D
Just so you know--I've always liked Damien too.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:07 am (UTC)Thanks! He's always been my pet, but I can understand why some people don't like him as a person.
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Date: 2006-02-24 10:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 04:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 04:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 12:09 am (UTC)Damien: By 1980, I'd pretty much come around to accepting Sirius. I think a lot of that has to do with the timing of when I found out- right after losing the love of my life, I think I was just glad that Remus had some happiness and someone to lean on. But I do NOT want to know what goes on beyond that. (I can't believe Lissa actually writes the NC-17 parts. I plug my ears and sing as loud as I can for them. Ewwww!)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 10:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-25 03:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-27 01:57 am (UTC)Yeah... Justin'll be wanting your head soon. ;)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-27 02:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-27 02:11 am (UTC)