Fic: What's in a name?

[pinkhairedauror]

Title: What's in a name?
Author: pinkhairedauror
Rating & Warnings: PG. The last part is AU (denial fic, much!)
Prompts: What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Word Count: 1 173
Summary: Three times a disliked name is reconsidered. (Pieces set in OotP, late HBP/early DH, and post-DH).
Author’s Notes: I think the

Comments

[hrymfaxe]

What a lovely story! What is in a name indeed?... Tonks is probably placing too much weight on that name, but having people in her life who thinks that she contains all those positive assets, would eventually help her embrace it.

I like how you have split the story up into small segments that spread over many years - little insights into their daily lifes, and how you have used them to show the changes in how she was named from Tonks to Dora to Nymphadora. :)

Thanks for sharing

[pinkhairedauror]

Thank you very much!
She really does have amazing people in her life, many of 'em, and I loved the idea of her being finally swayed into acceptance by Teddy, because... children have a way of touching people, especially their parents, that nobody else does. And it really really would have been impossible to explain HER reasons for not using the name to a kid. So he just... uses it. :)

Thank you. I love exploring the little things, because... life has it's grand moments, the times when things are changing and mountains crumble and so forth... but in the end, it's the little daily events and realisations that turn us into who we are. Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans and all.

I am glad you like it!

[katyscarlett76]

That was lovely! Particularly the last part (I love denial fic!!), so sweet it made me well up.

I thought Tonks' explanation of why she didn't like her name was very well thought out. I like the idea that she doesn't hate her name per se just that she feels it doesn't fit her. And that Tonks is easier to call out during a fight (and other situations too I would guess ;) )

I thought that the three sections were a neat way of showing how her acceptance of her name changed over time. Each section left me wanting a little more and that's always a good thing!

[pinkhairedauror]

Awww! Thank you very much! The last part was the first thing that shaped up in my mind, conceptually, for the fic, so I am glad it is as moving/sweet as I hoped to make it!

^_^ I have been roleplaying Tonks for... almost ten months now. To be able to do that effectively, I had to learn a lot about her - come up with explanations that make sense to me AND are consistent with the character as I read her from the books. I am really happy that this explanation works satisfactorily. :)

Awww! Thank you very much; this means a lot to me, since I'm always afraid that I write too explicitly and leave too little for the reader's imagination to complete, or to want.

[tegdoh]

I liked the way that you made Tonks' discomfort with her name rational and considered. It's so easy from the books to picture Tonks as a bit immature, which is hard to reconcile with her chosen profession.

I'm trying to find my own voice for Tonks-I tend to write from Remus' point of view-and it always helps to read such a great characterization of her.

[pinkhairedauror]

Oh, she's immature in spades! ... but that doesn't mean she's stupid, irrational, or incapable of thinking things through. She's just extremely impulsive. Good thing that Remus is NOT, and most of the time (when they both make the effort), they can balance each other out very well.
And yes, neither her chosen profession, nor the indications that she was good at it support the idea that she can't... reason. How often she follows through on that is a different topic ;)

Aww! *blushes* I am glad it helps!!

Thank you so very much for the time to read and comment, and the praise! ^_^

[shimotsuki]

Oh, this is great -- a really fitting use of the prompt, and insightful characterization (as usual from you!). The idea that part of why Tonks has never liked 'Nymphadora' has to do with her mother's expectations seems really plausible.

I really like the middle section, too -- the discovery of a nickname coming as a bright spot in Remus's gathering gloom. (Some people don't like to see him using the same nickname her father does, but I think it's nice -- a way of showing that Remus is her family now too.)

And of course the last section is very satisfying (ah, denial fic...). I love the combination of Tonks wanting to give Teddy a little independence, while not hesitating to use the Extendable Ears! The last two paragraphs make a very strong, very effective ending; as someone who wrestles with endings, I'm feeling inspired now.

[pinkhairedauror]

Thank you so very much! Since I've been wondering lately if I am starting to lose my grasp on the character, getting feedback that I'm on with the characterisation still - matters a LOT! <3
And oy, even though Tonks always does her own thing, she is still aware of other people, and especially of their feelings - and so she'd probably feel something like that, I think. And for somebody like Andromeda, who did grow up in an aristocratic surrounding, her daughter being so sloppy... even though she DOES love her a lot, it would have been a bit of a disappointment. (which then Tonks makes into more than it is, probably, but... when she loves, she loves strongly, and she does love her mum!)

OH thank you! :) I love love love Remus using 'Dora'. Especially since it was, purposefully, that when he showed up at 12 Grimmauld, he referred to her as 'Tonks', but later when he came to Shell Cottage to bring news of Teddy, he called her Dora. It's not only HER accepting him in her family. It's a sign of HIM surrendering to the inevitable accepting

[belladonna1986]

I love what you made of the prompt!

You managed to convey Tonks' issues with her name in a convincing way and the development of her approach on it was just great. I especially like that you made Tonks actually like her name, but still preferring "Tonks".

Great work!

[pinkhairedauror]

Hee thank you! I mean, the prompt's general idea, for me, is to try and demean the importance of a name. ... but I have a character who most emphatically tries that anyway - so why not poking at her, finding the reasons why and finding the ways around and through it?

I am glad you liked, and thanks a bunch for taking the time for feedback!