"Let's take it back to the start"
Jul. 28th, 2007 04:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moogingIt appears that I have managed to return from the House in the Middle of Nowhere relatively unscathed, read-out (not there is such a state of being) and slightly Potter-enthused, although I suppose that's a slightly common affliction right now.
So, hello.
Okay, so I've talked waaaay too much in this post. Also, I think I've managed to catch up with most of my friends list, but if I've missed anything you'd rather I hadn't (I know I got to skip=200, so, er, forgive me if I got slack at some point), please tell me!
I'll be going to my aunt's on Thursday, for about a week, so I'll be around a bit but not a lot (contactable by email always!) and then the week after I'm going to stay withstrangeumbrella for a few days (pleeeeease don't let the floods have done anything to that particular stretch of railways, pleeeeeease) and then when I come back, I'm going to see Tilda Swinton give a talk at the Edinburgh Film Festival.
TILDA SWINTON, in case you missed that.
Oh, happy times for all.
PS: I just set my mood for this post and the picture made me cry.
So, hello.
The house was actually quite nice. I mean, it used to be a train station (which added to the whole WHY IS THERE NOTHING ANYWHERE NEAR THIS PLACE GOOD GOD feel of it, and also meant that it was a converted train-station-house, which in turn meant that every single room had a picture of a train, or a black and white photograph of the train station when it was a train station, or an old train station sign, or a poster about trains or original train station colours on the walls. The dining room (and I don't know what it was before) had several pictures of trains on every wall. It was like living in a museum. Like living in a museum where the Ghosts of Train-Dependence Past had died. The kitchen was painted in Ye Olde Train Statione Coloursy, which were yellow and green. Mmm, fetching.
Now, despite this, it was actually a really nice place. It had two acres of land (it had it's own wood, for god's sake), a separate Games Room (snooker and table football, but there was a pool table in the lounge), the Original Ye Olde Train Statione Platforme (which sadly became the Place Where Bad Tennis Was Played for the duration of our stay), lots of green, a large stretch of gravel drive with it's own mini-roundabout in front of the house, a table tennis table in the conservatory and lots and lots of rabbits in the garden.
(Side note re: the rabbits. There were four that we saw on a regular basis and we named them. The big black rabbit was called Roger (my little sister named him) and he had a terrifying habit of staying Very Very Still for a long time (also, he had a black tail, which I thought was somewhat useless to him as a rabbit, as I thought the whole point of rabbit-tails was to be white, in order that all the other rabbits could be warned when there was some danger by the Bobbling White Tails of Imminent Pie-Making, so Roger-the-big-black-rabbit was clearly endangering his whole species, but never mind). The little black rabbit (who I never once saw) was called Roger-Bodge (er, I don't know why, that was my little sister again). The Evil Rabbit of Hell and Doom (seriously, imagine Mad-Eye Moody as a rabbit and you have him - yes, okay, Moody is a good guy, but he looks a bit like crap) was named Frank (by my mother and I) on account of him actually looking like Frank the Rabbit of Hell and Doom from Donnie Darko, and terrifying us both. My grandmother insisted that he was young and sweet; we knew that he was the bringer of the apocalypse, as he had bloodshot eyes and quite possibly an alcohol problem. Then there was Frank Junior, who was the sweetest thing in the world, had an unfortunate Hell-Demon for a father and very large eyes. That was a lot of irrelevancy, erm, oops?)
Sadly, there were only three bedrooms upstairs, and one bedroom downstairs, riiiiight at the other end of the conservatory from all the other rooms. This bedroom had a step down into it's own little hall, a step up to access it, had beds on casters on a laminated floor, an original furnace, a leaky sink, a poster proclaiming 'NEWCASTLE TO LONDON IN FOUR HOURS' with a gigantic picture of a train in fetching soothing shades of electric blue and silver, white walls so as best to show up the damp, a Big Damn Pillar in the middle of the room for no reason, a smell of cottage cheese as an omnipresent friend and a Big Damn Skylight in the middle of the ceiling, right over the beds, too high up to draw the blind on.
I, of course, took this room (because otherwise it would have been given to my grandmother, who is elderly, infirm, slightly unstable medically and would not have coped). I clearly took this well.
ME: Er, hello, Spirits of the Past, I shall be sleeping here.
ROOM: *eerie silence of every horror movie*
ME: Oooookay then.
ROOM: *scratching at the windows*
ME: Kindly desist.
ROOM: *is cold and damp and wet and despite the thick walls, does not block out the noise from the spa room next door where my mother and step-father liked to spend their evenings*
ME: SHH PLEASE. *covers over the head*
ROOM: LA LA LA VERY VERY LIGHT AHAHAHAHAHA LA LA LA.
TIME: *is 4 in the morning*
ME: For fuck's sake.
TAP: *drips*
ME: MY SANITY, SHE IS GONE
Anyway.
My mother tried to lighten this torment by hiding three Roses chocolates in different places in the room for me every night, which was very nice of her but a) I am very very bad at finding things, b) the clues I always needed were the Vaguest Things Ever (ME: WHERE ARE THE CHOCOLATES?, MOTHER: *wiggles arms*, CHOCOLATES: *are hidden in the curtain loops on the curtain pole*) and c) I would have liked just to have eaten the things, but never mind.
Also, the fact that we suddenly found ourselves on private land with enough space to move the large car around meant that I was forced to have a driving 'lesson' every night, in order to 'teach me the basics'. We did three point turns on my fourth night in the car, and on the last night, I had to drive round the roundabout thing. Mainly, these few minutes went like this:
ME: *hates the steering wheel with a passion*
STEP-FATHER: All you need to do is praaaaaactise!
ME: *hates the gear-stick*
STEP-FATHER: All you need to do is praaaaaactise!
ME: *hates turning the steering wheel*
STEP-FATHER: All you need to do is praaaaactise!
ME: *hates driving*
STEP-FATHER: Time to reverse around a corrrner, tra la la lee laaaaa!
Though, I mean, I sound bitter and twisted about the whole holiday (OH GOD I AM SO GLAD TO BE HOME I WILL NEVER LEAVE AGAIN), it was kind of nice in an odd way (I AM HOME HOORAH).
Now, despite this, it was actually a really nice place. It had two acres of land (it had it's own wood, for god's sake), a separate Games Room (snooker and table football, but there was a pool table in the lounge), the Original Ye Olde Train Statione Platforme (which sadly became the Place Where Bad Tennis Was Played for the duration of our stay), lots of green, a large stretch of gravel drive with it's own mini-roundabout in front of the house, a table tennis table in the conservatory and lots and lots of rabbits in the garden.
(Side note re: the rabbits. There were four that we saw on a regular basis and we named them. The big black rabbit was called Roger (my little sister named him) and he had a terrifying habit of staying Very Very Still for a long time (also, he had a black tail, which I thought was somewhat useless to him as a rabbit, as I thought the whole point of rabbit-tails was to be white, in order that all the other rabbits could be warned when there was some danger by the Bobbling White Tails of Imminent Pie-Making, so Roger-the-big-black-rabbit was clearly endangering his whole species, but never mind). The little black rabbit (who I never once saw) was called Roger-Bodge (er, I don't know why, that was my little sister again). The Evil Rabbit of Hell and Doom (seriously, imagine Mad-Eye Moody as a rabbit and you have him - yes, okay, Moody is a good guy, but he looks a bit like crap) was named Frank (by my mother and I) on account of him actually looking like Frank the Rabbit of Hell and Doom from Donnie Darko, and terrifying us both. My grandmother insisted that he was young and sweet; we knew that he was the bringer of the apocalypse, as he had bloodshot eyes and quite possibly an alcohol problem. Then there was Frank Junior, who was the sweetest thing in the world, had an unfortunate Hell-Demon for a father and very large eyes. That was a lot of irrelevancy, erm, oops?)
Sadly, there were only three bedrooms upstairs, and one bedroom downstairs, riiiiight at the other end of the conservatory from all the other rooms. This bedroom had a step down into it's own little hall, a step up to access it, had beds on casters on a laminated floor, an original furnace, a leaky sink, a poster proclaiming 'NEWCASTLE TO LONDON IN FOUR HOURS' with a gigantic picture of a train in fetching soothing shades of electric blue and silver, white walls so as best to show up the damp, a Big Damn Pillar in the middle of the room for no reason, a smell of cottage cheese as an omnipresent friend and a Big Damn Skylight in the middle of the ceiling, right over the beds, too high up to draw the blind on.
I, of course, took this room (because otherwise it would have been given to my grandmother, who is elderly, infirm, slightly unstable medically and would not have coped). I clearly took this well.
ME: Er, hello, Spirits of the Past, I shall be sleeping here.
ROOM: *eerie silence of every horror movie*
ME: Oooookay then.
ROOM: *scratching at the windows*
ME: Kindly desist.
ROOM: *is cold and damp and wet and despite the thick walls, does not block out the noise from the spa room next door where my mother and step-father liked to spend their evenings*
ME: SHH PLEASE. *covers over the head*
ROOM: LA LA LA VERY VERY LIGHT AHAHAHAHAHA LA LA LA.
TIME: *is 4 in the morning*
ME: For fuck's sake.
TAP: *drips*
ME: MY SANITY, SHE IS GONE
Anyway.
My mother tried to lighten this torment by hiding three Roses chocolates in different places in the room for me every night, which was very nice of her but a) I am very very bad at finding things, b) the clues I always needed were the Vaguest Things Ever (ME: WHERE ARE THE CHOCOLATES?, MOTHER: *wiggles arms*, CHOCOLATES: *are hidden in the curtain loops on the curtain pole*) and c) I would have liked just to have eaten the things, but never mind.
Also, the fact that we suddenly found ourselves on private land with enough space to move the large car around meant that I was forced to have a driving 'lesson' every night, in order to 'teach me the basics'. We did three point turns on my fourth night in the car, and on the last night, I had to drive round the roundabout thing. Mainly, these few minutes went like this:
ME: *hates the steering wheel with a passion*
STEP-FATHER: All you need to do is praaaaaactise!
ME: *hates the gear-stick*
STEP-FATHER: All you need to do is praaaaaactise!
ME: *hates turning the steering wheel*
STEP-FATHER: All you need to do is praaaaactise!
ME: *hates driving*
STEP-FATHER: Time to reverse around a corrrner, tra la la lee laaaaa!
Though, I mean, I sound bitter and twisted about the whole holiday (OH GOD I AM SO GLAD TO BE HOME I WILL NEVER LEAVE AGAIN), it was kind of nice in an odd way (I AM HOME HOORAH).
So, yes, in my holidaying tactic of Never Leaving To Go Into the Countryside (although they did once drag me up a large hill, in which I got a huge blood blister on my foot (no, really, it's about the size of my thumb nail) I read lots and lots.
I re-read His Dark Materials trilogy, which I loved if anything probably more than last time I read them, being slightly older and therefore appreciating that they may possibly have caused some controversy in the church, as there is some such talk of the Church Being Evil and yet Incompetent and also that God Is Responsible For All Bad Things And Is Also Bad Himself, and a couple of gay angels (who I adored and wanted to hug for the rest of my life), but, er, no, I really do love that series. I still wish Nicole Kidman wasn't going to play Mrs Coulter though. Plus, I want a daemon.
Right, er, I also read the Regeneration trilogy, which I need to read again and again and again and the last one made me cry very very very hard, until I had to put the book down and try to stop the wailing before I could read the last few pages. (Prior wrote to Rivers before That Thing I Am In Denial About). No doubt I shall be having several lengthy conversations about these books when I am at the House of Maddie in a couple of weeks (!!!).
Also, I loved every single Prior/Rivers interaction, and Rivers made my heart hurt a lot, and Prior is all kinds of awesome, and WAH. *cries a lot*
I don't know, I really liked Regeneration (and I still cling to the fact that in my head, Sassoon/Graves is a True Thing) and then I really liked Eye in the Door and then I really liked Ghost Road, and I can't pick a favourite. If anything swung my favour one way, it'd go to Regeneration for the simple reason that there was more Prior/Rivers interactioning, which is one of my favourite things in the whole world, so there. (When they finally figure out what it was that broke Prior and he just goes "is that all?" and he's so angry, and so broken, and Rivers is comforting him in the only way Prior will allow (with head-butting, oh god) argh argh argh).
Pshh, I don't know. I just love the way Rivers is protective of Prior and yet completely indifferent somehow, and then he cares that bit more for him, and he's so tested by him, and Prior just doesn't like it but knows there's something he needs with Rivers, and then when he can't go back to war and he's so upset and there's that hint of resignation under all the...the...it's not self-loathing, I don't know, the resentment at himself, and I'm not even saying anything now, so I'll shut up.
I re-read His Dark Materials trilogy, which I loved if anything probably more than last time I read them, being slightly older and therefore appreciating that they may possibly have caused some controversy in the church, as there is some such talk of the Church Being Evil and yet Incompetent and also that God Is Responsible For All Bad Things And Is Also Bad Himself, and a couple of gay angels (who I adored and wanted to hug for the rest of my life), but, er, no, I really do love that series. I still wish Nicole Kidman wasn't going to play Mrs Coulter though. Plus, I want a daemon.
Right, er, I also read the Regeneration trilogy, which I need to read again and again and again and the last one made me cry very very very hard, until I had to put the book down and try to stop the wailing before I could read the last few pages. (Prior wrote to Rivers before That Thing I Am In Denial About). No doubt I shall be having several lengthy conversations about these books when I am at the House of Maddie in a couple of weeks (!!!).
Also, I loved every single Prior/Rivers interaction, and Rivers made my heart hurt a lot, and Prior is all kinds of awesome, and WAH. *cries a lot*
I don't know, I really liked Regeneration (and I still cling to the fact that in my head, Sassoon/Graves is a True Thing) and then I really liked Eye in the Door and then I really liked Ghost Road, and I can't pick a favourite. If anything swung my favour one way, it'd go to Regeneration for the simple reason that there was more Prior/Rivers interactioning, which is one of my favourite things in the whole world, so there. (When they finally figure out what it was that broke Prior and he just goes "is that all?" and he's so angry, and so broken, and Rivers is comforting him in the only way Prior will allow (with head-butting, oh god) argh argh argh).
Pshh, I don't know. I just love the way Rivers is protective of Prior and yet completely indifferent somehow, and then he cares that bit more for him, and he's so tested by him, and Prior just doesn't like it but knows there's something he needs with Rivers, and then when he can't go back to war and he's so upset and there's that hint of resignation under all the...the...it's not self-loathing, I don't know, the resentment at himself, and I'm not even saying anything now, so I'll shut up.
Then I went to Manchester with my dad and step-mother on Monday/Tuesday, and we saw OotP, and I read DH last Saturday, and I need to see/read both of them again before I can form an opinion (although one thing stands out for me from both) because all the way through the film I was trying not to react to anything because of who I was with and the first time through DH I was just utterly on edge (I love these characters, shut up, I'm sad) so I want to see the film again to really see the film, you know, and I want to read the book again to really take it in.
Shh, I'm quite sad.
Also, as is to be expected I suppose, I've been thrown back into my Potter-love (I swear, it was only Doctor/Rose and Remus/Sirius that got me through the end of Year Nine, Year of Hell) and have therefore spent the last few days going Remus/Sirius/Remus/Sirius (rionaleonhart, that does not mean multiple versions of them, step away from the crack fic!) and I love them to itty itty pieces. (anyone have any R/S recs?)
Go readshoebox_project. Do it now.
So, yes, consider this your warning that some Harry Potter stuff may be flailing around here fairly soon.
Shh, I'm quite sad.
Also, as is to be expected I suppose, I've been thrown back into my Potter-love (I swear, it was only Doctor/Rose and Remus/Sirius that got me through the end of Year Nine, Year of Hell) and have therefore spent the last few days going Remus/Sirius/Remus/Sirius (
rionaleonhart, that does not mean multiple versions of them, step away from the crack fic!) and I love them to itty itty pieces. (anyone have any R/S recs?)Go read
shoebox_project. Do it now.So, yes, consider this your warning that some Harry Potter stuff may be flailing around here fairly soon.
Okay, so I've talked waaaay too much in this post. Also, I think I've managed to catch up with most of my friends list, but if I've missed anything you'd rather I hadn't (I know I got to skip=200, so, er, forgive me if I got slack at some point), please tell me!
I'll be going to my aunt's on Thursday, for about a week, so I'll be around a bit but not a lot (contactable by email always!) and then the week after I'm going to stay with
strangeumbrella for a few days (pleeeeease don't let the floods have done anything to that particular stretch of railways, pleeeeeease) and then when I come back, I'm going to see Tilda Swinton give a talk at the Edinburgh Film Festival.TILDA SWINTON, in case you missed that.
Oh, happy times for all.
PS: I just set my mood for this post and the picture made me cry.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-28 04:47 pm (UTC)Remus/Sirius/Remus/Sirius
LOOK, WHAT ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO THINK? Poor Remuses. They're outnumbered there, even though there are also two of them.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-28 05:08 pm (UTC)I don't know if we have a picture of Frank the Mad-Eye Moody Rabbit of Hell and Doom, but I shall look (and then you will laugh at me for being deathly afraid of the rabbit, but I swear that thing was evil. You should be glad that despite bear warnings in America you have so far avoided the Evil Rabbits!)
no subject
Date: 2007-07-28 07:43 pm (UTC)I was going to say other things, but I got completely distracted by Regeneration and now I can't form thoughts all that well. Erm. Oh! I am glad your holiday was good, even if your room was crazy and the rabbits were evil! :D
no subject
Date: 2007-07-28 07:49 pm (UTC)My room was indeed crazy. Oh, yes, I've been meaning to mention that I am now wearing contact lenses (did I say that before? Er, never mind) and so that picture I sent you is now what I look like, er, only I have no glasses on my face. Would you like another picture of Moog-with-contacts to do train-station-spotting (lol I sound like something from a guide book 'Ooooh, look, a lesser-spotted Moog!') or will that one be okay, if you assume that once I have spotted you I will probably just lunge at you and go 'GAY FILMS NOW PLEASE' and then everyone will look at us like we need professional help.
Speaking of which, I'm just about to watch that 'Very British Sex Scandal' thing - on More4 in about 10 minutes. Thought I'd let you know about it, in case you wanted to watch it. Er, some Lord and some other guy, found in bed, big court case, leading to decriminalisation of homosexuality (THOSE WORDS ARE TOO LARGE FOR ME TO KNOW).
no subject
Date: 2007-07-28 08:05 pm (UTC)OOH, I WATCHED THE SEX SCANDAL THING AND IT'S REALLY GOOD AND THEIR LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL AND TOUCHING. I saw it with
no subject
Date: 2007-07-28 08:39 pm (UTC)Also, the television tells me that Clapham Junction is being repeated, so I can watch that too! Hurrah!
I shall have to take a picture of myself then (I do avoid all cameras at all times) but then you shall see. Don't worry, I also panic madly about not recognising people - you should send me a worrying text earlier in the day asking me what I'm wearing ;) I know I sent one of those to Fran when I first met her, er, in the nice non-scary way, er, okay, I should be banned from speaking to people.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-29 03:36 pm (UTC)REMUS/SIRIUS OMG
SHOOOOOEBOX! SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEBOX!!!
Okay, really, I'm done now. Seriously though Moog, you know I love you right? This post was all kinds of win. I do hope you and Maddie can come see me when I arrive for my course, I desperately want to meet you.
And now to go into detail on the points I made earlier: all of the things you said about Prior/Rivers are GOOD AND TRUE, yes, and I love them so much. That last letter he sent to Rivers absolutely destroyed me and I, too, was crying so hard at the end that I was forced to stop reading. Oh god ILthem. THE HEADBUTTING. IGNFNGFVKNVDKS. (That wasn't a very useful paragraph at all but, er, I'm sure you get the message.)
As for Remus/Sirius, I know exactly what you mean. Shoebox is pretty much the best thing ever, really, isn't it? What are your favourite parts? I've been wanting to do a massively tl;dr Shoebox flail with someone for a little while now, and I think you might just be the right lady for the job. :D As for recs, hum. Well I recced one on Maddie's LJ (That the Science of Cartography is Limited, which is of course by Rave of Shoebox fame, but which I read BEFORE Shoebox, um), that I will apparently never get tired of trying to make people read. Other than that, though, I don't really know; for someone who read the books when they were little, I'm about as not-in-fandom as it's possible to be, and get all my fic from other people. Currently I'm midway through reading a kind of AU thing, a crossover with Gangster No. 1, although that possibly isn't to everyone's tastes, lol violence and badthings. But it is a MASSIVELY gay film, so, you know, bollocks to it.
One "lol rl" point: I wish I was allowed to try driving! My stepdad won't teach me anything at all until I'm seventeen, and whenever I bring it up everyone changes the subject; basically, they think I'm going to be awful, and I slightly resent that. Even though I did cause fiery death on all of the playstation driving games I ever played. Still, though! D:
AND NOW I WILL BE QUIET BUT ANYWAY YES HELLO I AM GLAD YOU ARE BACK XXXXX
no subject
Date: 2007-07-29 04:10 pm (UTC)NO WORDS CAN EXPRESS HOW HAPPY IT MAKES ME.
Er, er, okay, tl;dr stuff coming up, because I have also been seeking a Shoebox flail buddy person.
Right, well, okay, this bit is pretty much my favourite bit of the whole thing, ever:
"His mind has a dog in it," Remus repeats, only a little hysterically. "You mean the way you might go 'oh, don't eat that soup, it's got a fly in it?' Is that what you mean?" - I laughed for about ten minutes, and in fact that whole section (Nine B, in case you were wondering) made me die a little of utter utter love. Further reasons for The Express Love of Shoebox Part Nine B are:
"What's he doing what's he doing who wants to feed me? Hey, Remus, you know what we should do? You should throw something, and I should jump up and get it and bring it back! And then you could throw something else and I could jump up and get it and bring it back! Or you could throw the same thing and I could go get it again! It would never stop being fun! What's he doing? I'm hungry."
"Hmm," James says, still thinking. He shakes his head out to remind himself what's important.
"You've been sitting there for five minutes," Remus says. "I'm going to panic very soon. I think you should know that. Where's Peter?"
There is a sepulchral cackle from beneath the bed. "You'll never find me!"
As well as: "Can I lick you again can I can I can I? Just a little lick just a small like just a -- no I'm lying a lick all over your face, all over your face, can I lick you can I lick you now can I please?"
And: "Hungry hungry hungry," Sirius sings. "You know what I want I want meat. I want some meat. I want some raw meat just some pieces of raw meat. Cow meat. Mm cow meat. I like cow meat. All yum and slurpy and I'm hungry." He licks Remus up the side of one cheek and settles, still vibrating, thrown half across Remus' lap. He's a big boy. Remus attempts to think over the sound of his insanity. "What do you say eh Remus what do you say to that let's go we should go we should go now and get some meat."
- "And you are, apparently, suffering from old age and about to wheeze out and die?" Remus guesses.
- "I have your saliva in my left nostril," Remus murmurs. "Other than that I have no idea what to say."
"You could say Good job!" Sirius pants, regarding him pleadingly. "Because we worked so hard and we were so quiet and I didn't chew anything important today. Can we throw something? Hey, let's go get something to eat! Cows. Huh?" He abandons his post at Remus's knee and hurls himself onto his bed, where he turns around three times and falls promptly, bone-meltingly asleep, letting out an enormous snore.
- "Oh, yes," Remus says. "Completely normal! You're all barking! Especially Sirius, ha ha ha, oh God.
- The door slams abruptly open. Sirius flips onto his stomach, looking alertly in the wrong direction. "Who? What? Guard dog! Rrrrr."
- "Four hours of fun!" Sirius yelps, gamboling around his legs. "Fun fun fun and nothing but fun! James? James? Jamesjamesjamesjamesjames. Make him move! Hey, Remus! Make him move. I want him to come play. Hey, Remus, let's play. I'm going to go run around and smell things! Guess how many things we could smell? We could smell trees and rocks and bits of grass and walls and cats and sticks and bugs and--"
"No," Remus says, firmly. James trembles and Remus shoves the light at him, gaining some confidence. "Bad dog."
"Bad--" Sirius goes pale all over, slumping as if all the air has gone out of his body, as if Remus has just stabbed him. "B--bad dog?"
SO MUCH LOVE YES I KNOW I QUOTED MOST OF THAT PART BUT I REALLY DON'T CARE HOORAH THE LOVE.
(I have an eeensy bit more to say but the LOVE IS BEING PREVENTED BY COMMENT LIMITS)
no subject
Date: 2007-07-29 04:11 pm (UTC)Sirius's fingers dig hard into his shoulderblades. His mouth against Remus's collarbone is slightly open and his ragged breath is hot. Remus tightens his arms and winds his hand deeper into Sirius's hair and whispers helplessly, "Shut up, please, you're all right, it's all right," until he feels Sirius quieting against him, his chest hitching in hiccupping sobs. Remus has a memory of crying, the way a kid cries: the way the end of it leaves you lightheaded and empty-feeling and better but worse too.
"If anyone sees us right now," Sirius says, "I'm going to say you were choking and I was trying to, to save your life." His voice is the odd uneven staccato of someone who can't quite breathe over the force of his own crying, gulping sounds in between words and all. Remus touches him where he can reach, his hair and shoulders mostly.
What are some of your favourite bits? Shhh yes, Shoebox makes me far too happy to be allowed to interact with other people.
PS: if by "tropical" you mean "Devonshire" (and I do.)
PPS: YES we should see if Maddie and I can come and find you and meet you that time and then I will probably end up going SHOOOOOEBOX at you then, and people will look at us with bemusement.
PPPS: It is my dearest wish to own a t-shirt with a Shoebox quote on. I may make one.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-29 08:53 pm (UTC)So the entirety of Nine B is basically LOVE, and I agree with everything you quoted, but Nine A is not to be ignored; the whole final sequence, where Remus talks about getting bitten and not really remembering things is just amaaaazing. I always had such a problem, in the books, with the idea that Sirius would fuck Remus over just to get to Snape (it always felt like poor characterisation, or half a story?), so the way they wrote it was... perfect. Especially this (rather long, sorry) sequence:
"Madame Pomfrey's going to think we've been having it off," Remus informs him. The bed sags under their combined weight. Sirius's knee is in his stomach and their hands are touching on the pillow. Remus feels sick, and too tall, and too young, and too old also, and wonders why none of it is as easy for him as it seems to be for everyone else.
"She'll just have to contain her jealousy," Sirius says. "She knows I always come back to her, in the end. I know it kills you, but you have to understand that what we have isn't love. It's just physical. What Pomfrey and I have, now, that's something lasting."
"What with the children," Remus says, only half of him playing along and the other half lingering in uncertainty.
"The puppies," Sirius reminds him. "Litters and litters of puppies."
"You're disgusting," Remus says.
"I'm sorry," Sirius says.
"I'm going to pass out now." Remus pats Sirius' chest with a few weak pawing motions. Sirius remembers the first time he saw Remus' hands bandaged like that, palms hidden beneath white gauze, fingers stiff from pain. With the dog nose he smelled him, a sort of defeat in scent, and the copper hint of blood, and the blue undertone of bruises, and tense muscles, and old wood. So much of the wolf remains in him the day after, where the moon, though hidden in orbit, reaches out moon fingers, trying always to claim him. Sirius tightens his hold, unthinking. "Augh," Remus grunts. "Ribs."
I KNOW I QUOTED LOADS THERE BUT THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING AND UNFG. Also: hurt/comfort eek I know I'm a bad lady but SSH. Second also: cuddling. Yes, I am fully aware that I suck like a great sucking thing but, er, LET'S IGNORE THAT! :D
Both Halloweens are just... fabulous. I love them. The first is fantastic mainly because of the whole "Something is Thumping" section, particularly this chunk:
Sirius opens his mouth in a silent yowl, trying to leap free, but the hand is strong and holds firm, dragging him back to the floor. For a moment Sirius doesn't remember hearts don't have hands. "It's got me!" he groans. "Oh God, it's got me, with its fingers and -- waitaminute."
"Thump," Remus says.
Sirius considers this new development for precisely seven seconds, which is how long it takes for his heart to start beating again, and then says with deadly calm, "Lupin, you are about to learn the meaning of a thumping."
Remus cackles, slightly hysterically, and tries to wriggle away on his elbows, which is tragically inefficient to someone fleeing the mighty wrath of a Black. Sirius grabs him by the ankle, snarls, and launches himself forward to belt Remus round the ear, making the whole shack creak and shudder under them.
"Aghn," Remus says, "you nutter, you'll wake up everyone!"
"Good, then they'll get to see you die," Sirius says. "I bite you!"
As for the second one, well, I don't think I need to tell ANYONE why it owns... but, oh hell. ONE BIT WON'T HURT. (Although, alas, I too have fallen victim to the curse of the comment-length-exceeded whatsit, so it will be in the next onnnnnne. Dun dun dun!)
no subject
Date: 2007-07-29 08:54 pm (UTC)The tea leaves say, BEWARE THE CORRIDORS.
"Well," Sirius mutters. "I knew that."
"Why is your tea so much less murderous than my tea?" Remus asks. He knows injustice when he sees it. Or drinks it. "Beware the corridors -- that could mean anything. It could be perfectly harmless. Not like You're going to die. That one isn't really open to interpretation, is it."
"Piffle," Sirius says warmly. "That could mean 'You're going to die...of joy when you see what a great surprise the fates have in store for you!' It could be something wonderful. You simply refuse to see the positive in any situation. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
It also, of course, contains the line "That's new and horrible", which I adore stupid amounts for reasons I don't really understand.
Oh oh and while I'm here, talking bollocks, I've just remembered that I didn't say how much I love the funeral bit you quoted; I LOVE IT I LOVE IT SO MUCH OHHH GOD.
Also, I love that whole bit where Remus and Sirius see in the new year together, in their sixth year, and in fact that entire part (don't they get stuck in a pit-type-thing while exploring for the map?), but I can't begin to think what I'd quote from it. As for the second Christmas, well... CHOCOLATE. HECTOR. Oh bollocks, I've got to paste some of it in now.
*"This flat should be condemned," Remus says. "Sirius, you are friendly with cockroaches."
*Peter gives Remus a look that says, Come, join me on the couch of impartiality. Or perhaps it says I have had too much pudding.
*"All right," Sirius says, after only a moment's deliberation. "Eggnog, then. Noggy eggs. Eggs that are somewhat nogged."
"We will have food poisoning," Remus murmurs.
"We will have egg noggining," Sirius corrects.
"Pardon," Remus says. "We will be nogged by your eggs."
"I've no idea what either of you are talking about," James pipes in gamely. "Let's all be sick on Sirius' terrifying homemaking skills, shall we?"
*This isn't the sort of chocolate you sit on for a train ride to soften and get all over your fingertips. It's the sort of chocolate you dedicate yourself to -- it's the sort of chocolate you dream about. It shaves off around his teeth and he gets half of it into his mouth, poised on his tongue, resting just against his upper gums. Just chocolate. One of the dark ones. It tastes like the renaissance. He sucks it, drawing it meltingly against his tongue and back into his throat.
"Aghk," Sirius says.
Remus doesn't notice.
I AM MAKING MYSELF STOP BECAUSE IT'S RIDICULOUS AND I COULD GO ON ALL NIGHT HELP ME. Er er er. Yes. Anyway, what Shoebox quote would you put on a shirt, if you could? I always liked that line about (I'm paraphrasing) "You went very cold and very distant for two weeks, and then you turned into turned into a werewolf, which even you have to agree is cheating", but I don't know if I love it more than any others, I just had to write it because I remembered I hadn't yet. Help me I am such a saaaaaaaad individual! D:
PS "Not again," Sirius moans. "All because you couldn't resist your childish impulses! Evil werewolf. Ruthless, vicious child of darkness." :D
no subject
Date: 2007-07-29 09:22 pm (UTC)That whole hugging sequence from Nine A hurts me, a lot.
"We will have food poisoning," Remus murmurs.
"We will have egg noggining," Sirius corrects.
"Pardon," Remus says. "We will be nogged by your eggs." - Heeeeeee. I forget how much hilarity there is. You know, amidst the heartbreak and angst.
The line that broke me into several bazillion pieces was most definitely (paraphrased): 'Oh, I get it. I'm rocks.')
Do you have msn, or some other such chatting device? We could do talking on that, y/n? My email is choccygirlmeg@hotmail.com - I also have yahoo messenger, if that's of any help.
(I AM SO HAPPY TO BE TALKING SHOEBOX WITH SOMEONE.)
PS: Look look look at my icon.