(Untitled)

[iamweebles]

Title: Taking the Cure
Author: Nikkita (nfwbls)
Format & Word Count: ficlet, 702 words
Rating: G
Prompt: #3 (buoyant)
Warnings: angst
Summary: Remus takes the waters
Author's Note: "Taking the waters" or "Taking the cure" was a common practice among the elite in England in the 18th century and referred to spa retreats in Bath to partake of its curative

Comments

[author_by_night]

I hope you don't take my response the wrong way. This was well written.

I just think Remus is the last character who would take his own life, especially in a way that brings back memories of childhood trauma. It seems as though he's both killing himself and punishing his parents, and I'm not sure I like that.

These are only my thoughts, of course. It is your fanfic.

(And I would like some backstory - you can either explain here, or email me. It might help me understand better).

[iamweebles]

I don't think he'd normally take his own life, but the backstory to this (which may have been too cryptic? That was the point of the second to last paragraph) is that he's killed Tonks while transformed as a werewolf. I think he'd choose this method partly because it hearkens back to his childhood search for a cure, partly because it was an old terror and therefore a way of punishing himself, and partly because, despite the terror, there was a peace and beauty to it that he'd want at the end.

I did think about whether or not he'd commit suicide given the sadness if those around him, but then I thought that if he'd killed Tonks, his friends and family would never be able to overcome the awkwardness and horror of it. Not that they wouldn't love him, but that they'd never be able to project comfort around him. I think that he'd drift in and out of their lives in a depressive state, seeing less and less of him as he wandered the world, and in the end, he'd lose touch with them and just never come back from being away.

[author_by_night]

Oh... see, it was a bit hard to realize that Remus killed Tonks during a Full Moon, yeah. I just thought he was referring to another one of their "too dangerous..." arguments.

I think it makes more sense now, at least. :)

[miss_tilney]

I'm rather speechless at the end of that - "oh" being the main thought going through my head. It's a very moving piece, upsetting, but in a beautifully written way. Poor Remus.

I did have to read it twice to understand completely, mostly because I was eager to find out what happened and so not paying attention (a bad habit of mine) but that's no bad thing. I liked the use of "his Tonks" - that is what happens when we talk to people no longer with us. I also like that he's questioning himself, through "his Tonks" and not listening to himself, any more than he listened to her.

Thank you!

[iamweebles]

Thank you! I'm so glad you picked up on that last bit - I think that Remus is often painted as a good listener, but I think that's only when he doesn't have his own agenda in mind.

[emoonstone]

This is very deep but it does work. I think this is one that you have to interpret on your own level. It definitely feels very dreamy but that is because of the presence of 'His Tonks'. It may be because it actually feels very peaceful - he's made a decision and now he just feels that amazing feeling of relief. I take it that he killed Tonks and that is why he came to the decision, which is the only time I could see him contemplating something like this. Overall, very interesting and a good read.

(Oh and I know that Bath was a high profile place people went for these retreats as I live just outside there but there were also plenty of other spa towns where I think similar happened).

[iamweebles]

Yes, that was what I was going for - a sense of sadness but also of peace and finding what he's longed for -oblivion.

i knew the Bath explanation would be too verbose, especially for the Brits ;-) I just wanted to make sure the title was clear - that this was a story about water as much as a story about the last line.

Thank you for reading it!

[le_parapluie]

As Burns would say, "Excellent." I promise, no more Simpsons references in this review.

This has a very heavy, dreamy feel that I completely dig. I know I've rambled on before elsewhere that I'm quite interested in conditions of the mind and the effects that trauma can have on mental/emotional stability, so really, considering the subject matter here, I was rather bound to like your story. The background of Remus' parents searching for a cure--and going to any means necessary, even those that were outlandish and ritualistic--was interesting, as I find it quite realistic that they would have tried nearly everything in the attempt to cure their son. I'm sure Remus has memories of such attempts that he'd rather not think about.

Mental-illusion Tonks was quite well done, and I loved the way that you turned this from relatively light to dark in such a small amount of writing.

A few typos I noticed, but all minor:

"i should have listened to you sooner."

"It's time." he says quietly.

Again, wonderful take on the prompt, nfwbls.

[daylightsparks]

Damn, this story is really creepy (and I mean that in a good way) - really nice use of detail and flashback. However, I think I would like a little bit more clarification of the backstory, since like a couple of other commenters, I had to read it twice and also read your explanation to figure out what happened. (On the other hand, I just woke up ten minutes ago, so that might have something to do with it.)