Into the Blue

[gilpins_tales]

Title: Into the Blue
Genre: Romance, lots of. ;)
Rating & Warnings: PG
Word Count: 2,645
Summary: “Walk with me?” he asked, and the smile widened as he saw she remembered that those were almost the first words he’d ever said to her. Remus has arranged a very special day for Tonks and so, it seems, has everyone else… Set at the end of HBP.

Comments

[mrstater]

They're called ice cream...cornets...in England

[gilpin25]

They're called ice cream...cornets...in England?? This is why I read fanfic. You learn something new every day. I feel like I speak two languages now. Ice cream cornets. Huh. Who knew??You never know when completely random ice cream info may come in handy. ;) We call them cornets or cones, but an ice cream cornet/cone like the one described here, with a Cadburys Flake bar stuck in it, is called a 99. Which, so I was told once, dates back to ice creams originating from Italy, the King of Italy having an elite guard of 99, and this being considered the 'elite' ice cream here for a while. They also used to cost 99p at one happy time

[mrstater]

Thank you for educating me about ice cream cornets!

It's made me want to write the wedding and honeymoon now, lol.

Is that a promise? ;)

[gilpin25]

Well, it might be more of a threat! LOL. But, no, I really would like to write that one, in fact it's a 'must do' at some point... (Possibly when the decorators are here, and more happy!fic seems very necessary.;))

I like your icon!

[chococoffeekiss]

I can hardly begin to tell you how much I adore this fic--every single line! I love how it begins, and I really admire the way you used the description of the beach. It's like I was there!(that especially made my evening, as it's freezing cold here!). The mention of the seagulls cries and the emptiness of the beach made it feel so quiet and intimate, and the bits of Tonks' thoughts here and there were just right on cue

[gilpin25]

Oh, yay!:D I can't tell you how thrilled I am you liked this as it was so much fun to write them having a day like this - even if it was almost written twice, lol. (And, really annoyingly, there was a line I know I liked but just couldn't remember from version one, and which I'm hoping will come back to me one day in another fanfic.;))

It's like you were in my head!!! Only my sneaky marriage proposer doesn't have a furry little problem (that I know of, lols.)I must admit you did give me some Remus and Tonks-like ideas with the bits you let slip, and also there were some of my own from Mr Gilpin - he did the worried rambling when I didn't come up with an immediate answer. Even though, like you and Tonks, I had a good idea he was planning to ask! I was going to use the Order scheming with Remus, anyway (they seemed so keen on R/T being together in the hospital wing scene, and, let's face it, Remus and Tonks must be the best source of gossip they've had for years;)), because I liked the idea of him and them going to so much trouble

[riveroad]

I love you, I love your Remus and I love this fic.

Best proposal ever. Hands down. I love how Remus walks that line between excited and doubtful/scared. It was marvellous the way he's proposing but showing her parts of his past and his vulnerabilities all at the same time. Most of all, I love how Tonks expects nothing and gets everything she didn't know she wanted. Really, what person doesn't want that? You know, embarrassingly enough, I didn't see the ring coming until he told her she probably wouldn't want to eat it. Which just made me grin stupidly.

More than that, your writing is, as always!, first class.

[gilpin25]

Happy to see you!:D Obviously I'd be very happy to see you anyway (how are you?), but I'm also happy you enjoyed the fic as it was such fun to write a day like this for them. In fact, I think I must do more angst-free fic as it's good for them and me, lol. Though I was a bit worried I was completely overdoing the romance, but then I just loved the idea of Remus (and the Order helping) to give her one very special day in the middle of a war. And that he'd do it in true, Remus-like fashion...

You know, embarrassingly enough, I didn't see the ring coming until he told her she probably wouldn't want to eat it.

You don't know how pleased I am that you didn't see it. As I thought everyone would be thinking, 'Tonks flashes a ring at the start of DH so it's got to be somewhere very obvious, and why's she mentioned an ice cream van being there?!'

Thank you very, very much. You've made my Saturday night much brighter.

[riveroad]

I have such a bad habit of falling off the planet! I'm doing well :) just got back from India and waiting on the forms that'll let me work in the US for 6 months (they're supposed to be here tomorrow but we all know what that means in bureaucracy-time!). I suppose now that it's getting closer, I'm getting very nervous. And the thought of what a nightmare packing is going to be is not really making me want to start! How was your Christmas and New Year?

was a bit worried I was completely overdoing the romance
Not. At. All. It was perfect! I could really see Remus setting all of that up and it didn't seem overdone to me at all. The very fact that it was taking place in the middle of a war seemed to give it more meaning, make it a little more desperate.

[gilpin25]

Sorry about the delay, I disappeared down a hole myself for a couple of days!

Christmas and New Year were good, thanks, although the health and well-being of relatives is a concern. :( Personally, I've decided that having faffed around with the original novel last year and got nowhere, I've got to get down to it. So no more very long fanfics for a while, just short, fun ones when I can is the so-called 'cunning' plan. And the decorators are arriving on the 26th so I am with you on the nightmare of packing, especially as it's the study and I have about a million books in there, lol.

How was India? And how are you and your family? Would love to read a post all about it if you can fit one in. :)

[shimotsuki]

What a perfect end to my day to have this to read. It's so, so nice to see Remus happy and open, and to see Tonks so excited (says the compulsive angst-writer, heh). And the story is just chock-full of absolutely perfect details. I think it's exactly the right amount of romance -- leavened with humor, of course, and also, what you've got are snapshots of genuine emotion and words and actions that are meaningful to these two characters specifically, not generic "romance" that could have involved anyone. It was brilliant on Remus's part ;) to start out with the same words he used at the beginning of their friendship, as though signaling his intentions to do things right this time. Another favorite detail is the way they go walking not hand in hand but close enough. Because actually walking hand in hand is hard to pull off (actually, we see this later when they're staggering along together, don't we!), and this close enough alternative shows they're in tune emotionally even if they aren't physically touching

[gilpin25]

It's nice to hear this gave you a good end to your day! I tend to believe no R/T fic is complete without a good dose of angst myself, but I thought I'd try and make it up to them a bit in this. Besides, I like the theory that if Remus was determined to put all doubts behind him at the end of HBP, and believe what everyone was telling him when they said he and Tonks could and should be together, how much harder would he blame himself when they appeared to be completely wrong in DH. But now I'm heading for an angst-centred review reply!

Because actually walking hand in hand is hard to pull off (actually, we see this later when they're staggering along together, don't we!), and this close enough alternative shows they're in tune emotionally even if they aren't physically touching.

It is hard to pull off on an uneven pebbly beach, lol, and that is exactly what I hoped it was showing. Which is why Tonks is content for him to reveal when he wants to what they're doing there and also later on, at the end, in the part you refer to, they

[duck_or_rabbit]

I'm keeping this brief because I imposed such unedited rambling in my last review.

This is on of the most lovely things you've written that I have read in terms of narrative and spot on dialogue. You've always been unspeakably talented, please don't get me wrong, but this read so well to the ear. One thing I love that you did was to drop the 'Remus' and 'Tonks' tags and use 'he' and 'she' for most of the story. As a reader, names get clumsy when only two characters are in the scene. Whether this move was intentional or not, the final result was successful.

I think this is particularly memorable:

“Where are we going now?” she remembered to ask, after a little while.

“To get an ice cream.” He nodded towards the white Muggle vehicle. “It’s a tradition.”

“When you ask a girl to marry you?”Right then, I'll stop myself; promised you no rambling

[gilpin25]

Oddly, when I started fanfic, I had no intention of writing romance as such - mostly humour and then some rom com was the aim - and it's taken me ages to be happy about it, to stop trying and failing to do what others were doing, and just do what I feel about it and the characters. Am so glad you liked this one as I did, too, but then the real test is what other people say about it.

One thing I love that you did was to drop the 'Remus' and 'Tonks' tags and use 'he' and 'she' for most of the story. As a reader, names get clumsy when only two characters are in the scene.They do. I think they reduce the sense of intimacy as well. I tried to only use them when there was any possible confusion who 'he' could be, and the beauty of fanfic (and something I must learn to forget again with original, lol) is how many gaps the reader fills in for you. Hopefully, from the first description of 'him' waiting for her, everyone knew it was Remus waiting for Tonks. Though I have noticed I completely skipped over anyone asking anyone else security

[duck_or_rabbit]

and the beauty of fanfic (and something I must learn to forget again with original, lol) is how many gaps the reader fills in for you.

Ah yes, but many readers are often quick to point out what's been forgotten, too. Not so lovely.

Either way, well used speaker tags! Easy to read, with or without reader gap filling to back up the characters.

[gilpin25]

Um, meant to use this icon. But they're both from there!