Rec: Raw
Fic: Raw
Author: gilpin25
Pairing: None
Characters: Remus/Tonks, Molly Weasley
Genre: romance, angst, character study
Era: During OoTP
Warnings: PG-13, perhaps some R for some depiction of sexual activity
Summary: Tonks reflects on the morning after with Remus ... and how they got there.
It's a little less than 48 hours until I get to read Deathly Hallows, and my stomach starts to tie itself in knots and my breathing gets shallow whenever I think about the end of the HP series -- and the very real possibility that my favorite character won't survive.
So what better distraction can a fan of Remus Lupin have than an exquisitely lovely story that's as warm and comforting as a velvet blanket? Told through Tonks's POV, Raw depicts the morning after she and Remus become lovers, and also shares her reflections on the journey of their relationship.
A simple premise, not much plot really, but told in such delectable, detailed prose -- and filled with so many insightful, human observations about both Lupin and Tonks's characters -- that even though not much happens, you want the story to go on and on.
Of course some of Tonks's thoughts are as rose-hued as the dawn; this is the afterglow, and writer gilpin25 has ably captured that warm, lazy feeling the poet Verlaine called L'Extase Langoureuse. But Tonks is very real here, a far cry from the cocky dauntless unwavering version of Tonks seen elsewhere. Yes, she awakens and views Remus through tender, amused, loving eyes, but she's not too besotted to ignore the fact that his sleep-heavy arm is kinda causing her mild discomfort as it drapes over her body. Though she's definitely head-over-heels in love with the guy already -- and though his dismissal of her during HBP is in the future -- Tonks has insecurities of her own, thank you very much, that make her doubt what lies ahead.
Here's one of the many small, effective and touching moments:
They both move together, in a kind of lunge, but he’s fractionally ahead of her and she just has time to think she must remember that, that he was first, and then his mouth comes down on hers.
This is a memory of the night before, and it's so right that she has this breathless realization: that, even as she's getting swept away, Tonks has a subconscious foreshadowing that her insecurity (and Remus's reserve) may require her to remember that yes, he sought her mouth, he wanted this to happen. As if she's telling herself, "there will come a time when you'll fear he doesn't want you; when that happens, please try to remember this moment." How very human and believable. This is a Tonks I fell in love with myself. And I don't even roll that way.
Also my heart turned over during an exchange when Tonks relates her previous (and only, as it turns out) lover, a time that didn't exactly work out very well for her. Remus is moved and oh so charmingly protective, and wonders that she seemed so unafraid last night. Tonks says, simply, that she knew he'd make everything all right.
When Remus shares his own unfortunate romantic past, it culminates with an achingly poignant echo of her own words. A wonderful touch that shows the balance in their characters.
By the way, I don't mean to make the story seem soppy. It isn't; there's humor and tension as well, especially thanks to Tonks's memories of her earliest Order meetings (poor Molly and her pie!), and later as their friendship develops perhaps a bit too quickly for Remus and he takes a few wary steps backwards. Even during the 'intimate moments' (as the author endearingly calls her sex scenes in her intro), the writing succeeds in creating an aura that's quite erotic -- and does so through both lush romance and down-to-earth realism.
That's the charm of Raw in a nutshell: the truth can be as beautiful as any fantasy. Often, moreso.
A perfect gift to Remus/Tonks fans, and really any fan of good, descriptive writing. Go and enjoy, and let Raw's warmth sustain you during this breathless hush until DH dawns.
Remus_Recs Rating: 4.5/5 bars of Honeydukes Chocolate
Author: gilpin25
Pairing: None
Characters: Remus/Tonks, Molly Weasley
Genre: romance, angst, character study
Era: During OoTP
Warnings: PG-13, perhaps some R for some depiction of sexual activity
Summary: Tonks reflects on the morning after with Remus ... and how they got there.
It's a little less than 48 hours until I get to read Deathly Hallows, and my stomach starts to tie itself in knots and my breathing gets shallow whenever I think about the end of the HP series -- and the very real possibility that my favorite character won't survive.
So what better distraction can a fan of Remus Lupin have than an exquisitely lovely story that's as warm and comforting as a velvet blanket? Told through Tonks's POV, Raw depicts the morning after she and Remus become lovers, and also shares her reflections on the journey of their relationship.
A simple premise, not much plot really, but told in such delectable, detailed prose -- and filled with so many insightful, human observations about both Lupin and Tonks's characters -- that even though not much happens, you want the story to go on and on.
Of course some of Tonks's thoughts are as rose-hued as the dawn; this is the afterglow, and writer gilpin25 has ably captured that warm, lazy feeling the poet Verlaine called L'Extase Langoureuse. But Tonks is very real here, a far cry from the cocky dauntless unwavering version of Tonks seen elsewhere. Yes, she awakens and views Remus through tender, amused, loving eyes, but she's not too besotted to ignore the fact that his sleep-heavy arm is kinda causing her mild discomfort as it drapes over her body. Though she's definitely head-over-heels in love with the guy already -- and though his dismissal of her during HBP is in the future -- Tonks has insecurities of her own, thank you very much, that make her doubt what lies ahead.
Here's one of the many small, effective and touching moments:
They both move together, in a kind of lunge, but he’s fractionally ahead of her and she just has time to think she must remember that, that he was first, and then his mouth comes down on hers.
This is a memory of the night before, and it's so right that she has this breathless realization: that, even as she's getting swept away, Tonks has a subconscious foreshadowing that her insecurity (and Remus's reserve) may require her to remember that yes, he sought her mouth, he wanted this to happen. As if she's telling herself, "there will come a time when you'll fear he doesn't want you; when that happens, please try to remember this moment." How very human and believable. This is a Tonks I fell in love with myself. And I don't even roll that way.
Also my heart turned over during an exchange when Tonks relates her previous (and only, as it turns out) lover, a time that didn't exactly work out very well for her. Remus is moved and oh so charmingly protective, and wonders that she seemed so unafraid last night. Tonks says, simply, that she knew he'd make everything all right.
When Remus shares his own unfortunate romantic past, it culminates with an achingly poignant echo of her own words. A wonderful touch that shows the balance in their characters.
By the way, I don't mean to make the story seem soppy. It isn't; there's humor and tension as well, especially thanks to Tonks's memories of her earliest Order meetings (poor Molly and her pie!), and later as their friendship develops perhaps a bit too quickly for Remus and he takes a few wary steps backwards. Even during the 'intimate moments' (as the author endearingly calls her sex scenes in her intro), the writing succeeds in creating an aura that's quite erotic -- and does so through both lush romance and down-to-earth realism.
That's the charm of Raw in a nutshell: the truth can be as beautiful as any fantasy. Often, moreso.
A perfect gift to Remus/Tonks fans, and really any fan of good, descriptive writing. Go and enjoy, and let Raw's warmth sustain you during this breathless hush until DH dawns.
Remus_Recs Rating: 4.5/5 bars of Honeydukes Chocolate