The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive Interview with mjules
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive Interview with mjules |
| Interviewer: | The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive |
| Interviewee: | mjules |
| Date(s): | April 10, 2005 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | X-Men |
| External Links: | the interview is here, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive Interview with mjules was conducted in 2005.
Other Interviews in the Series
See The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive Interview Series.
Some Excerpts
... I probably came into the fandom with a bias because the friend who *demanded* that I watch the movie (who was also my beta reader in the X-Files fandom) also told me “This movie is for any girl who’s ever loved an older man.” (Knowing, of course, that the last guy I was serious about was 12 years older than me.) So I guess that’s how it got started. So, shout outs to Floridiana for roping me into this. (She’s also the reason I discovered Hugh Jackman. Everybody needs a friend like her.)Then when I got into the comics and back into the cartoon and saw the subtle differences in the characters, I totally fell in love with the idea of the two of them together – they’re both so strong that nobody could see the places where they need something from others. I figured they would understand each other because nobody else is really that way. Rogue is bullet-proof and Wolverine super-heals, and yet they both are emotionally vulnerable.
Having someone who understands that about you and is willing to take care of you in those areas without making you feel like you’re needy or that you’re incapable of taking care of yourself is a big part of what I feel a relationship is about. Part of my philosophy on a romantic relationship is summed up in a quote from the Jewish Talmud: “If your wife is short, bend down and whisper to her.” In other words, if your partner has an area where maybe they don’t have it all together, do your best to help them out without bringing attention to that weakness.
I also feel like Wolverine and Rogue are people who say what they mean, so they should be able to communicate fairly easily, and communication is a huge part of any relationship – maybe ninety percent of it. I think they accept the other one for who they are without judging, and that creates a feeling of safety, a sensation of, “I can tell you anything and we’ll still be friends.” I think they feel safe being themselves with each other, and I think that’s a good sign that any relationship, romantic or not.
I think it’s that my great love of drama and fiction centers around the characters. I’m fascinated by psychology and how people react in different situations, so I like to experiment with placing the same basic characters in situations they normally wouldn’t be in and seeing how they interact with each other and how they’re changed by their surroundings. In an episode of the X-Files, Agent Mulder once postulated that our circumstances and how people treat us is half or more of who we are. I think that concept fascinated me and I’ve been playing around with it ever since – how much of our personality and our self-image do we actually decide, and how much is simply a reaction to outside influences like our upbringing, our environment, the way others perceive us? I guess AU’s are just a way for me to explore that.
Either a certain phrase will trigger my imagination (in the case of one of my original novels, the entire concept was birthed from a half-line in a Jars of Clay song), the mood of the song will create a scene in my head, or the story behind it or told within it will get me thinking (as with “Operator”). A lot of times I will choose specific music to listen to while I’m writing as it helps shape the mood I’m in and therefore the mood of the piece. Music is a really integral part of my life and I guess it just bleeds over into the writing. I also think the music we listen to tells us something about who we are as people, so I try to be really picky in fics when one of the characters is listening to the radio – what station do they stop on, and why? What is it about them that wants to hear that song? I also don’t incorporate that into my stories a lot because it is such a touchy thing. If you met me, you might never, ever guess that I’m an avid fan of techno, blues, and jazz until I turned on a CD and sang along. In the same way, it’s difficult to guess what kind of music these characters might listen to, so I try to stay away from it for the most part. Except the Eagles. I think Wolverine and Rogue in their comic incarnations are probably both Eagles fans. *grins*