(no subject)

[godricgal]

I have two very different emotions about the book. The prevailing one at the moment is obviously the death of Remus and Tonks. I'll not be alone in feeling like I've lost two good friends, and completely shocked.

Putting that aside for a moment (not that there weren't things that made me squee with glee, like Remus calling Tonks Dora!) I did enjoy the book, and I'll be back with more thoughts on that once I can look at the book as something other than the pages in which Remus and Tonks died.

Yesterday afternoon I wondered how my attitude to fan fiction would change, whether I could read it, whether I could write it. JKR left us with a pretty decent platform for writing them in the afterlife, and it's quite possible to think of them as happy, together and Remus is free from his curse, but then there's little Teddy, and it all becomes upsetting again, and each time I thought of them happy and unaware of their fate in fic -- and indeed in canon -- all the tragic dimensions of their deaths come rolling back.

I've always avoided fics in which they die, simply because fic reading is a form of escapism and it's far too upsetting. So I got to thinking about what I do if I accidentally read fic in which they die, which is to go and have a good old read of something like Werewolf or Transfigured Hearts or one of my favourite one shots.

So about three o'clock this morning, I bit the bullet and read two chapters of a favourite fic, and I realised that yes, I can keep reading and it is possible to enjoy the fics and put their eventual fate out of mind for a while and simply enjoy the ship -- which is how I eventually got to sleep.

So this is how I intend to go on: it seems most of us agree that JKR did not do them justice in their deaths, but she did give us two wonderful characters that have brought us here; we've shared our stories, our thoughts and engaged in a fair amount of unashamed fangirling. We've had a lot of fun. I want to keep doing that.

We have three years with which to play around, an extra one if you fancy a GoF romance, and one more if a PoA romance tickles your fancy, and at least they died together. The more I think about it, the more I want to write an entirely new take on their relationship (for me), covering the three years, and now there is no time restriction? I may just do that.

There is too much in these characters to stop exploring them through fic, and if that's how they live on for us, then let's get writing.

They'll be a discussion tomorrow at metamorfic_moon to discuss the new R/T canon, so I'll save my actual thoughts on it for that.

ETA: I'm off to meet sea_thoughts for coffee, so I'll respond to any comments when I get back. :)

Comments

[fitzette.livejournal.com]

I'm devastated. I had to put the book down and walk away.

I'm glad you were able to enjoy them in fic though. I've tried, I'm not there yet.

*sniffle*

[godricgal.livejournal.com]

I'm devastated, too, and it's not at all sunk in.

Fic reading was a desperate attempt to find them alive again and it did help, but I've not tried it since. It's going to be a while before this stops hurting.

[iamweebles.livejournal.com]

As someone who has killed them off multiple times in fanfic, I absolutely hated their deaths and the way that they died, and I hate that Remus has been removed from the postwar landscape so that exploring that universe through his eyes is lost. But through Teddy, I can see that there is still a way to explore Remus's issues postwar. And I do agree that there is still so much that can be written. I still want to read (and write!) their relationship from an action/adventure/espionage take, which I think is best placed within what exists in canon anyway. But... I'm still crushed.

[patriot-jackie.livejournal.com]

Or... =D We could do like another round robin and re-write the whole last battle scene!! Let them come out alive and everything! ^___^ Then it can be our official "Alternate BETTER Ending." 8)

I just... I really can't think of them as being gone. I never thought that they would die. I mean... my thoughts prickled in the back of my mind with danger for Remus since Tonks was all safely removed from the danger, but after Fred died, and there had been Mad Eye AND Dobby.... She said TWO!! That was not TWO!! That was something like 8 or 10, if you count Snape and Wormtail and Collin and Ted and... Not to mention Dumbledore's death repeatedly brought up, which I still don't think I've gotten over....

[bratanimus.livejournal.com]

I just finished it today and am still reeling. Sorry I missed the chat yesterday. I've not gathered the courage to read fic yet, but there are lots of Meta fics waiting.

*sniffle*

[godricgal.livejournal.com]

It was the worst possible shock, wasn't it? And not good knowing that you still had it to come. If you want to jump on tonight, I'll be around for a good few hours yet. I didn't think fic reading would help, but it did last night. I think we all need a few weeks to let this sink in and see where we go from there

[bratanimus.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm walking around in a daze today as if I've lost two old friends (and more). Which, in a way, we have, haven't we?

I'm not sure if I'm ready to "reinvent" that friendship yet. But hopefully soon I will be.