Remus J. Lupin

7. Mun Prompt: Talk about someone that your muse hates. Why do/did they have a problem with that other muse? How do you as a muse separate and make sure that your Muse's emotional feelings do not carry over into your own? Conversely, if your muse is attracted to another muse, how do you let your muses play out their interaction with the other muse without you the mun living vicariously through them?

There are very few people that Remus actually hates, but there are a few here and there. Fenrir Greyback, for example, he'd easily fall into that category because he was the one that turned him into a werewolf. He hates Voldemort for starting the wars in the first place and taking away so much from him in all of them. Bellatrix... Well, let's just say that he is not fond of Bellatrix at all. And in the RP world he despises Amycus Carrow because he has tortured people that he loves. I don't let it get to me, any of those things, because whatever Remus is dealing with is his, and his alone.

I firmly believe in the line that is supposed to exist between a character and a mun. My thoughts aren't Remus', and Remus' thoughts aren't mine. I think it's the fact that I have been writing for as long as I have, but I manage to keep that "distance" in mind whenever I roleplay because, if not, it would cause too many problems and frankly they are just problems that are uncomfortable to deal with. So if Remus hates someone, or gets into some heated argument with someone, it doesn't mean that I am on my end of the internet brooding and being angry too. Conflict threads are actually extremely interesting to play out if they are done properly, because it's amazing just how much you can learn about your writing ability and your muse in those situations. If for whatever reason I were to start feeling like there was any sort of "bleeding" of feelings between the pup and myself, then I would take a step back and refuse to tag into the thread until I am absolutely certain that it is my character the one that I am writing and that my thoughts have nothing to do with it. Which is not to say that I would hate the character or whatever, but rather that sometimes the way I deal with things wants to come forward rather than what Remus Lupin would do. And that isn't cool, because that's why the line is there. IC =/= OOC and all that. Thankfully I haven't had to deal with that all that much, but I have the plan ready to go as a just in case.

Same thing goes for the romantic aspect of the situation. Whatever feelings my muse has are his own, not mine. As much as I may love Sirius as the character, for example, it doesn't mean that I write Remus with him so that I can "live vicariously" through him. That's not it at all, and frankly to me that would just be creepy beyond belief. I know some muns will know exactly what I am talking about with this, and this is the best way to explain it: when my muse starts interacting with someone and there is that...vibe to them, and that chemistry between them? The type that makes me and the writer for that character step back and ask "...did you sense that, too?" That is the way I know how to write my muse. Anything other than that would be forced, and it would make his relationships and interactions be extremely awkward to deal with.

So, the short answer would be to just keep that line firmly planted between the muse and myself. There is no reason, in either situation, to insert my own thoughts/feelings/reactions to things because that would make the character fall in the "out of character" category. And, honestly, that is something that I try to never do. Remus is himself, and that is fine with both of us. He has his own things to deal with, his own way of managing things, his own way of thinking, and his way of feeling. Feeling, or doing, or acting for him would be writing myself, and what is the point in that?

I saw this 'meme' in the friends-list for one of my other characters, and I've been meaning to do this for Remus but hadn't gotten the chance.

What are five ideas/concepts/etc you keep in mind while writing your character that you believe are essential to accurately depicting them? Why did you choose them? How do they relate to the character’s over all persona?

'Disclaimer': This is, of course, things that I keep in mind for my version of Remus. With this I'm not saying others should keep THIS in mind when writing Remus; this is just my own reference.

1. Remus is a werewolf. Heh, I know, big shocker, right? ;) This is a very obvious one, and one that I always keep in mind. Not just because I have to keep track of moon phases so I can know how his mood should be in different stages of the month, but because being a werewolf has affected Remus tremendously. He was bitten when he was barely turning seven. For better or for worse it helped to mold him into who he becomes. It strengthened his love for chocolate, because his parents would give it to him to help with the potions. It set a 'pattern' to how he presents himself to others, in putting up masks to hide his true appearances. It made him become braver, because how else is a child supposed to face those painful transformations every month?

Him being a werewolf is also a big one, because it gave him part of his outlook to life, and himself. And there's just something about having your body broken every month that gives a person a bit of an edge. His humor, for example, is very, very dry. He's cynical about a lot of things, and he's just not the happy-go-lucky guy. Which works fine with him, thanks for asking. ;)

( 2-5 under the cut. )