Ask My Characters
Oct. 3rd, 2004 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geovikiThis challenge was making the LJ rounds in mid-2003, before I was on LJ or had any characters to quiz, for that matter. But of all the memes and things I've seen, I think this will be the most informative and productive for me and you...at least I hope so. Um, I'm banking on you actually participating.
Ask my characters questions!
Any of them. My fics are posted at Skyehawke . Depending on the question, my character will answer, and I may pipe up, too, if I think they're being less than honest.
Ask my characters questions!
Any of them. My fics are posted at Skyehawke . Depending on the question, my character will answer, and I may pipe up, too, if I think they're being less than honest.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2004-10-03 10:33 am (UTC)It's a weird question. XD
Will put a link to your fic and comment at my LJ. Hope you don't mind. :)
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Date: 2004-10-03 12:42 pm (UTC)Of all the characters I've ever written, Dean is my most Mary-Sue-ish. I think I put a lot of myself in him. He reacts to the situations around him the way I would. He's deeply troubled by the dark side he finds in himself, a darkness everyone has. He's devastated that when challenged, he didn't stand fast but instead betrayed a friend. It kills him that it was so easy to do.
He still thinks he should never have been a Gryffindor, that he's more Slytherin than he'd like to think was ever possible. He is learning, slowly, that his real bravery comes from dealing with himself and his actions every day. That he and Saamus are still friends after everything that happened is a tribute to both of them.
Seamus just came from canon, I think. He reacts to Dean's sincerity. He's intensely loyal, even more than Hermione.
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Date: 2004-10-04 10:35 am (UTC)And the link is here.
http://www.livejournal.com/users/darkprincedm/1799.html
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Date: 2004-10-03 11:23 am (UTC)This is for ATBT Draco:
How are things between you and Hermione now? When do you think she will really settle into believing in your relationship with Harry?
Come to that, how strongly do *you* believe in your relationship with Harry?
This is for ATBT Harry:
ATBT was very much Draco's story, about the personal journey that he went on. But I'm very much interested in the sort of changes coming your way at the end of the story. Where do you see yourself moving over the coming months and years? Do you know? (does the author? :D)
And this is for Viki, and is totally off-topic:
What does your journal name "outside it's america" come from? because every time i see it, i think of sondheim's assassins, but i also don't think that's where it comes from.
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Date: 2004-10-03 11:29 am (UTC)Outside it's America is a song lyric (oh, big surprise) from U2's "Bullet the Blue Sky" (as is the next journal line - I can see those fighter planes).
The other questions will have detailed answers, because one of them forms one of the major themes for the sequel. So I've got to give the answer some serious thought.
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Date: 2004-10-03 12:34 pm (UTC)Draco: I’d describe us as guardedly neutral. She drives me batshit crazy in a lot of ways, and I would never on my own choose to spend time with her, but between Dean and Harry, that’s not possible. Harry says I don’t like her because she’s too much like me, but I know there’s more to it than that. I can appreciate that she’s loyal to her friends, but then she takes it that one step too far and tries to control them. What she did between me and Harry was a perfect example. And, okay, I forgave her, but I’m doing my damndest to make sure she never has that kind of chance again. But she’s got courage, I’ll give her that. A lot of people wonder why she wasn’t sorted into Ravenclaw, but I can see a bit of the reason why she’s a Gryffindor.
I don’t care if she believes in the relationship between Harry and me. As long as she doesn’t try to mess with it. But she’s smart; I don’t think she’ll make that mistake again.
Come to that, how strongly do *you* believe in your relationship with Harry?
Draco: Depends on what you mean by relationship. We’ve always had a relationship, just not a very positive one. But I think you mean our recent...affair.
Of course, there’s the daily disbelief of “Oh, good lord, how did it come to pass that I’m waking up beside Harry Potter?” I’d say that’s pretty universal reaction in the wizarding world, for good or ill. What passes for wizarding newspapers and magazines has grabbed on to the topic and hasn’t let go. But they’d have obsessed over anyone who latched on to Harry. At least I can stand the scrutiny - I’ve had my own notoriety to deal with since the war.
Now we get into the deeper aspect of your question. I’m not used to baring my soul, and I’m not sure it ever does any good, but I will tell you that if our relationship had been built on both of us searching for a calm harbour, a place of rest and rebuilding, and a mutual recognition that we could best get there together, then I could allow myself to believe.
But I don’t think Harry believes that. Right now, I think Harry is paying back that debt he thinks he owes me for breaking my father’s curse on him. And gratitude can only last so long before it turns to resentment. The day will come when he’ll decide he’s paid up, and then he’ll be gone.
(To ATBT Harry) Where do you see yourself moving over the coming months and years? Do you know? (does the author? :D)
Harry:For the first time in my life, I’m busy doing nothing. And I love it! I was always at everyone else’s beck and call, even after the war. There was so much to sort out. Although I didn’t actually work for the Ministry, I kind of freelanced there for months. Let’s just say we don’t see eye to eye these days. After Draco’s inheritance fiasco, I quit having anything to do with those fuckwits.
So I spend my days doing all the things I never had a chance to. Draco calls me a gentleman of leisure, and he’s absolutely right.
To tell you the truth, building a life with Draco Malfoy is a full-time job. I have a gut feeling that he’s surprised every day that I’m still here with him, and that he expects me to walk out the door at any time. And when we argue - and you can imagine we have really spectacular rows - I can tell he’s thinking “Well, this is it, then.” And I hate that. I know it’s hard for him to trust anyone, and I’ve done my share of adding to that. One of the biggest things we’ve had to overcome is how I left him when he needed me the most, just because Hermione...well, you know the story. The kind of damage I caused because of that has been a hard thing to get beyond. But you know how stubborn I can be!
I think we’re good for each other. I just have to convince Draco of that. Until that happens, I can’t really plan for our future.
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Date: 2004-10-03 12:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-03 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-04 07:11 am (UTC)I'd totally make it worth your while.
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Date: 2004-10-04 08:11 am (UTC)Geoviki: Draco will never tell you that he also has some seriously unresolved sexual issues from his days at Death Eater Central. I think by nature he's a serial monogamist, but what happened there has reinforced that. And the sequel will touch on that a bit.
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Date: 2004-10-05 10:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-03 01:58 pm (UTC)They are so fricking made for each other! I'm greatly looking forward to the ATBT sequel. Do you post chapters as you go along or do you wait until it's complete?
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Date: 2004-10-03 03:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-03 04:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-03 03:52 pm (UTC)To tell you the truth, building a life with Draco Malfoy is a full-time job. I have a gut feeling that he’s surprised every day that I’m still here with him, and that he expects me to walk out the door at any time. And when we argue - and you can imagine we have really spectacular rows - I can tell he’s thinking “Well, this is it, then.” And I hate that.
WOW, just WOW...
Now, questions right before I re-read ATBT (already opened :)
Q to ATBT Dean:
Who of your friends and acquaintances would you never want to paint and why? If you were allowed to paint a portrait only of one person who would you choose a) on personal reason; b) on aesthetical reason.
Q to ATBT Harry:
Which of the things you said while under the curse fills you with the deepest regrets?
Why? Which of those things you wish you have courage to say in your everyday life?
Q to the author:
How did you come up with that Polyjuice idea?
[Sends a kiss to Draco]
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Date: 2004-10-03 08:35 pm (UTC)Dean: Oh, that’s easy: Severus Snape. Mostly because he still intimidates the hell out of me. That’s leftover from school. Now I think he blames me for leading Draco down the road to perdition by being the one who first drew him. Not that I see Snape socially or anything, but Draco does, and he’s said a few things that lead me to believe Snape’s not too fond of me. Snape thinks Draco’s modeling is a huge waste of talent. He doesn’t really get how much of an impact Draco is making on the Muggle modeling scene.
If you were allowed to paint a portrait only of one person who would you choose a) on personal reason; b) on aesthetical reason.
Personally - Hermione. I’ll spare you the mushy details - suffice it to say, we’re getting along quite well these days. Aesthetically - Draco, of course. He’s quite something to see, you know.
Q to ATBT Harry: Which of the things you said while under the curse fills you with the deepest regrets? Why?
Harry: Oh, god. This is one of the hardest questions I’ve ever been asked. Partly because I think I managed to target everyone’s most vulnerable spots. Anyone who had to sit through it with me will agree. There were a lot of schoolmates and such who volunteered - once. After the first time, they couldn’t face me again.
I can’t narrow it down to one, so I’ll give you a few. Dean, of course. He was pretty torn up about betraying Seamus, and I told him I wasn’t surprised he found it so easy to do. Hermione got to hear all about how I thought she was a slut for cheating on Ron. And I told Ron repeatedly how I thought he was just my friend because I was the Boy Who Lived, and he loved the attention from being my best friend.
I won’t tell you all the horrible things I told Draco.
I regretted every single thing I said to any of them, because I didn’t mean any of it, but.... Well. People heard me trying to reassure them, but I know that they still held secret doubts, that maybe the spell was bringing out something I thought all along, but was too afraid to tell them. And that wasn’t it at all. There’s not a single thing I said under the spell that I remotely believed or would ever say in everyday life.
One of the nicest about it was Neville, actually. He stuck it out and never once blamed me for thinking badly of him.
God, it was a horrible spell, and a horrible time in my life.
Q to the author: How did you come up with that Polyjuice idea?
I wish I could give you a clear answer.... That’s one of those plot pieces that just came from nowhere. I hadn’t read it in anyone else’s fic. It just popped into my mind when I visualized the final battle. I try to visualize scenes, and I concoct the dialogue based on what I see and hear. And the polyjuice just kind of happened.
[Sends a kiss to Draco]
Draco: Thank you, darling. Mind if I share that with Harry?
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Date: 2004-10-04 11:04 am (UTC)As for Hermione and Draco, well, I thought so :)
To Draco: No, of course I don't :)
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Date: 2004-10-13 01:54 pm (UTC)Hmmm. Do I detect some Darth Wimsey (pace AJ Hall) and Harriet Potter ahead. . .? ;-)
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Date: 2004-10-14 09:11 am (UTC)I peeked into your LJ, and we seem to have some kindred-spiritness, so I've friended you. Hello!
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Date: 2004-10-03 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-03 07:39 pm (UTC)I've already checked out your LJ; it's why I friended you. I have to be a little bit picky, because I have a pesky thing called a day job. And a family. And a really intense hobby.
I look for the clever, the humorous, and, yes, the exotic. Somehow you caught my eye with comments in other folks' LJs, and then I noticed you list Lust over Pendle as an interest, which just clinched the deal for me.
I won't even make you pretend you've read my fic. You could ask an off-the-wall question and it might even be funny; who knows?
Me and A!M - not so good today. Me and Y!M much better. But I forget to init.
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Date: 2004-10-03 09:09 pm (UTC)I've added you to AIM and Y!M with intent to bother.
A random question, eh? Hmm. To Draco: What one thing would you do differently, if you had the chance?
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Date: 2004-10-03 09:28 pm (UTC)Telling Hogwards Draco: If I'd known Potter was so sexually creative, I might have moved on him sooner. And I wish to God I'd have complained about our ratty meeting holes earlier, too, because he managed to settle things rather elegantly. I can't tell you how much I hate dead insects, especially in my hair!
Waters of March Draco: I really don't know how I could have managed to change what happened when the Dark Lord - oh, hell, Voldemort, I can say the bloody name - caught Professor Snape and me. But I wish I could have done more. More than nothing, which is what I managed to do in that short time. I wished I'd have focused more in Defense Against the Dark Arts, or picked up a few more Death Eater tricks from my father. I never felt so helpless in my life as I did watching that bastard destroy the only man who cared enough to keep me from joining him. And knowing Professor Snape's last act was to look for me and try to keep me safe... I can't even talk about it much yet.
A Thousand Beautiful Things Draco: This is going to sound strange, and there are a boatload of people who are going to be quick to misinterpret and use this against me, but I wish I could have just said goodbye to Lucius. Even though I hated what he became and what he was doing, still...he was my father. And there was a time that meant a lot to me. The way I had to leave the Death Eaters so suddenly left no time to even think about it. And realistically, there was no way I could have done it without tipping him off that I was about to disappear. It would've been my death for certain, and maybe Severus's, too. Still, the last time I saw him was at his trial. God, at least they keep the families away after the Kiss - I couldn't have handled that.
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Date: 2004-10-03 10:12 pm (UTC)Oh. I do have a question for Draco in this story. What happened last summer at te Malfoy Manor that made you switch sides?
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Date: 2004-10-04 07:09 am (UTC)What happened last summer at Malfoy Manor that made you switch sides?
I'd like to keep some of the gory details to myself, if you don't mind. What I will tell you is that the Dark Lord was a frequent visitor, and I got to see first hand what a nutter he truly was. His idea of loyalty went a good way beyond both what I expected and what I was prepared to give. It was sickening to see my father playing such a subservient role, and I suspect there was some Dark Magic involved in his toadying. Because if he knew what his Master was getting up to with his wife, he might have had a few objections.
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Date: 2004-10-03 10:15 pm (UTC)For viki: I can't imagine how difficult it was to write so many pages and have Draco say nothing at all. What was writing that "it's 8:30" scene like? Was it, 'whee, Draco has dialogue, woo!!', or more like, '2295723942304 different emotions because the curse is finally over!!!!'?
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Date: 2004-10-03 10:39 pm (UTC)OMG I WISH I HAD ASKED THIS.
Seriously, ZS, when I was betaing this fic, I literally got off work and walked around for the rest of the afternoon not speaking deliberately, and trying to figure out how I could actually do something like that--and I kept having to speak to people as I went about my routine and I was so contemplative and it was such a hard thing for me to comprehend and, wah, I want to reread the fic now. :X :X :X :X
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Date: 2004-10-03 10:56 pm (UTC)I'm looking foward to 'Draco's' response... his deepest, darkest hour, maybe, and considering perhaps one word, maybe just a whisper... *flail!!*
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Date: 2004-10-04 11:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-04 07:40 am (UTC)For ATBT!Draco: Come on. Admit it. Wasn't there a time where you thought you'd just say something?
Draco: It was my worst fear, of course. The consequences of failure were enormous, and I knew that going in.
*Harry comes in to the room and sits down*.
Harry: Oh, I want to hear this, too.
Draco, frowning: I've told you this before, Harry. It's nothing new.
Harry: Go on, then.
Draco: I know you Muggles have all kinds of notions about what being a Slytherin is all about, but one of the major characteristics is having an innate ability to balance potential gain against possible loss and then taking appropriate action. When I looked at my situation, I knew it was only a matter of time before the Aurors made the connection between Harry's curse and the Malfoy family. And they did, of course. I was surprised it took them as long as it did, actually. Granger said that was because of a lot of in-fighting between different groups in the Ministry.
So my plan was to take the small chance that I could end the curse before it could be tied to me. That was the only way I could see clear to hanging on to what little I had left in my life. And I knew full well that if I screwed up, it would be Azkaban without a doubt - at the bare minimum. Because no one, especially me, can get away with harming the great Harry Potter.
Let me tell you, the fear of Azkaban is a great motivator.
Geoviki interrupts: You're not telling the whole story, Draco. What about how you reacted when you saw Harry under the curse?
Harry: This is new!
Draco: What? Well, he was pitiful, I admit. I felt sorry for him, like I would have for anyone.
Harry: I didn't know that.
Geoviki: He's being modest, Harry. Seeing you under the curse hit him very hard, and he's hesitant to tell you.
Draco, tersely: Well, since you know so much, do you want to finish this answer?
Geoviki: No, no, go right ahead.
Draco: Part of the way I resisted saying anything was to avoid people - I did that for about 5 weeks. And there was the tongue stud to remind me. One of the hardest times was during that broomchase - I thought Harry was going to kill us both, and I was so angry at him anyway.
Harry: You had every reason to be angry. I was an idiot. I can't believe I put you through...
Draco: Leave off. I don't think ZS wants to hear how grateful you are for the thousandth time.
Harry: Okay. *leans over, gives Draco a chaste kiss on the cheek* Can I tell her about what you sounded like after the curse was broken? *doesn't wait for Draco's answer* He began every sentence with a long pause - it took him almost amonth before he could just speak normally. And during sex, he would always be so quiet, so I had to encourage him to ---
Draco: Harry! TMI. She doesn't want to hear about our sex life!
Harry, smiling: Oh, I think you'd be surprised.
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Date: 2004-10-04 09:41 am (UTC)Draco, um.. well yes, we are interested about your sex life and while I know it's very personal I do have one more question.
How hard was it in the beginning to keep totally silent during sex? I'm assuming it got easier as time went on. Was moaning allowed?
*blushes* Sorry if this is an embarassing question. it's just been on my mind.
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Date: 2004-10-04 02:38 pm (UTC)I've never been a real talker during sex anyway - not like someone I could mention - so I didn't have the problem with it I could have.
Involuntary noises were permitted under the cure-breaking rules. (That curse book was full of fascinating details - kept me entertained for hours speculating on just how someone uncovered all the ins and outs). The restrictions were on communication, for the most part. But I did take note of the fussy little details before I hooked up with Levon - I admit I was hoping things would pan out there, but once Harry came back on the scene, I knew I'd never be happy with Levon.
I was always afraid to moan too enthusiastically; I tried to keep everything safely on the side of involuntary noises.
And that's all I'm going to say about that, young lady!
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Date: 2004-10-04 02:50 pm (UTC)Now I'll go take a cold shower from those images.
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Date: 2004-10-04 10:46 am (UTC)*nods* That makes a lot of sense! Draco was moved by Harry's circumstances, but I can definitely see how self-preservation would be a strong motivating factor.
sekkrit side bar to Harry:
Harry, smiling: Oh, I think you'd be surprised.
me: ahahaha! <33333333
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Date: 2004-10-04 07:48 am (UTC)Well, if I wrote like a normal person, that would probably be true. However, I wrote this in a random-access mode, just picking up wherever I felt the mood strike, so I didn't experience that long period of silence the way the reader does. It's why I asked you as a beta to check for continuity problems.
I'm not sure if you read the final version, but there are a few more scenes than when you saw the beta version, thanks to Aja. She recommended some excellent changes, things that really made the story much more powerful in those places. For example, she encouraged me to elaborate on Draco's preparation for the curse, and I really like how that came out. I also added the scene where Dean and Seamus carry things into Dean's new apartment. And changed Hermione's admission to Dean that she ruined Harry's relationship.
It's odd, in a way, that for as much as I love Draco and his way with words, in both Waters of March and ATBT, I shut him up for a good part of the story.
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Date: 2004-10-04 10:35 am (UTC)That scene in particular stood out for me because the undercurrent is so emotionally charged, and (lol, it's a relief, as a fellow random access writer) I really couldn't tell that you'd written it out of order.
Thank you for replying!! It was fabulous to pick your brain :D
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Date: 2004-10-04 02:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-04 07:19 pm (UTC)I did it last time, too :)
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Date: 2004-10-04 05:12 am (UTC)so twom!draco, do you ever wish you could go back into the spell so you could stop feeling, or have harry comb your hair again [*wicked grin*]
and twom!harry, do you see a future with draco? are you there for the long haul?
and twom!author, are we gonna see anymore of this world?
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Date: 2004-10-04 08:01 am (UTC)Draco: Maybe for an afternoon, but that's it! The high that came from Harry touching me was indescribably great, and yet it was too unreal. Like heroin would be, I suspect. So when Harry combs my hair now (and yes, we still like to do that, why are you surprised?), even though it's nowhere near as overwhelming, it's still got its own power and emotion. And it's real, which is even better.
Otherwise, the spell sucked. Feeling emotionally disconnected for so long is nothing you'd want to experience - I've heard people describe it to me as like a mental illness, autism I think they call it. Until Harry showed up, I had no mental stimulation at all.
and twom!harry, do you see a future with draco? are you there for the long haul?
Harry, blinking in surprise: I, uh. Haven't thought about it much. We're still kind of young for life-time committments. I won't be 18 until July. Right now, we're just getting to know each other more. He's not who I thought he was, and he'd probably say the same thing about me. But, um, the sex is brilliant. There are some good things about being 17!
and twom!author, are we gonna see anymore of this world?
Well, probably not. The plot is pretty much resolved, so there's no real tension anymore. Plus, I think this story has some flaws caused by my (then) inexperience that would be too hard to rectify. I need to go on and write stories with new, improved flaws!