["Kaleidoscope" update] Porridge

[shimotsuki]

I haven't had as much fic-writing time as I would have liked, lately, but working on this one in tiny little pieces has at least been a stress-reliever!

As always, I intend this as a stand-alone story within the Kaleidoscope series, but it's also part of the same story arc as Breaking Point and Messages -- what I'm thinking of as the "in-laws

Comments

[hrymfaxe]

Oh yay!! :D:D I like it a lot! I'll leave a proper comment tomorrow, because I'm very much in need of going to bed now so I can be refreshed for work... Stupid RL!

PS: I'm glad you have had time to relax with some fic-writing.

[shimotsuki]

Aw, thanks -- but don't feel you have to worry about "proper comments," lol, I'm just happy to hear you liked this. :)

[train_lindz]

This is absolutely lovely :)

The acceptance and cautious relationship between Remus and Andromeda is worderful.

I love this series.

[shimotsuki]

Aw, thank you! I'm glad you like the way the relationship between these two is developing. :)

[sspring92]

Thank you! It has kind of been a crappy Sunday for too many reasons to go into here. This was a lovely surprise on my friends page! The idea of Tonks being so upset that she couldn't make her father's "Comfort food" for Remus was so touching and a bit heartbreaking! I often wondered in Andromeda would ever accept Remus, sounds like this was the start of that!

[shimotsuki]

I'm so sorry you had a crappy Sunday. :( But thanks so much for the kind words. This was a little hard to write without getting too emotional about it all, but it is after all a kind of emotional time for all these folks... And yeah, I think Andromeda would really appreciate Remus once she decided to give him a chance (and vice versa).

[mrstater]

Oh, this is lovely. I can't think of a more fitting way for your Andromeda and Remus to finally get beyond their tense, careful relationship than through this situation of Remus being forced to ask for help and Andromeda realizing that it's time to get beyond herself and respond. The way Tonks is the catalyst for this, while keeping a relatively low profile in the story, is beautifully handled. She doesn't realize just how much she does do for people.

Also, having Andromeda finally see Remus in an unrestrained moment is really perfect after all the times in your stories she's been frustrated by him. (Pot, kettle, black much, Andi? ;))

Very well done! Thanks for a lovely start to Memorial Day.

[shimotsuki]

Thank you so much for the encouraging comments. I really wrestled with how to write Andromeda here without getting ridiculously emo (many were the drafts, especially of scene two). But I wanted to work with the idea that losing her husband would make her more inclined to reach out to what's left of her family, and help all the positive things she's observed about Remus over the last several months finally sink in. ...Only now I'm afraid that by cutting out some of the emo-ness, I've lost that connection to Ted's death as a kind of turning point, heh. Maybe I need to rethink this (again!) for the eventual rewrite. ;P

Anyway, I'm happy to hear that this was a fun read.

[mrstater]

Only now I'm afraid that by cutting out some of the emo-ness, I've lost that connection to Ted's death as a kind of turning point, heh.

Oh no, I don't think you've lost that at all. I think it was very clear throughout (especially with the whole thing with the mirrors and her initial reluctance to let someone else in to what she'd shared with Ted, both in the communication it brought them while he was on the run as well as that tragedy at the last) that Andromeda was turning to her family (and inviting Remus into that familial fold) because she no longer has Ted as her comfort zone to withdraw into. So no worries!

[shimotsuki]

Thanks for the reassurance! I edited and changed this one so much it got to be hard to think about how what was left on the page would read on its own, lol.

[gilpin25]

Am here to swap Andromeda compliments. ;)

I saved this as a treat for when the bank holiday was over, and of course, it was. To misquote the famous carol, your Andromeda is such a perfect mix of crisp, even and deep. It's easy to imagine her exactly as described in DH: looking a little haughty and yet with kind eyes. It's also easy to see why she's such hard work for Remus, though - Andromeda isn't a Molly or any of the people we see in the books so openly emotional and needing the comfort that Remus knows just how to give. It's fitting that it takes an unexpected moment of deep vulnerablity in them both, and them recognising it as such in the other, that makes a hole in the wall of reserve and misunderstanding between them.

I read your comment to mrstater about losing some of the emo-ness, but I felt as if there was a great deal, it's just nicely understated and it feels just right. Not looking at Remus when Andromeda sees his compassion for her seems exactly how he reacts to displays of feeling for him when the roles are reversed,

[shimotsuki]

(*snort* At first I misread that and thought you meant of course the Bank Holiday was over. ;) )

I really appreciate your reassurance! For some reason this one never quite felt like it gelled, but I'm glad you thought Andromeda's actions and responses made sense here. I'm also relieved to hear the emotional aspects were evident without being too much; I kind of felt like I was writing this with a thick trowelful of emo, and had to scrape it off ruthlessly in the editing phase, lol.

I like your insight that Andromeda would be harder for Remus to relate to if she didn't (seem like she) needed anything from him...

Thanks again for the kind comments. I will push on!

[gilpin25]

(*snort* At first I misread that and thought you meant of course the Bank Holiday was over. ;) )

*snorts back* Am not sure it was my most eloquent sentence ever: remind me not to use it in something original any time soon!