Reviews For Like Coming Home


Name: TidalDragon (Signed) · Date: 27 Jan 2020 07:23 PM · For: Sixteen years later

Howdy!

 

I really like this concept! You don't really think much about Rosmerta outside being in charge of The Three Broomsticks, but you actually managed to bring her to life here! The beginning of course we spend in Remus's head and it's both nice to see his happy memories of the place and of her, but tragic to see how he thinks of himself as he sits down in front of her once again. There's of course some truth to what he says, but the self-concept he's got at the moment sells him so much short. I suppose that's to be expected given that only his friends kept that at bay really and they're all gone though.

 

Rosie's self-concept is sadly equally low. She doesn't see any value in who she is and what she does, feeling like she's constantly reaching for some sliver of connection beyond filling drink orders. Sadly, the two are so afraid to answer the question of 'where've you been' that they don't really go there.

 

Still, it's encouraging that despite the burning question - the question they're each afraid of answering - they are able to connect by looking back to memories of happier times and resurrecting those feelings even if only for this conversation.

 

This was well-done! Thanks for sharing!



Name: MadiMalfoy (Signed) · Date: 19 Jan 2020 01:42 AM · For: Sixteen years later

Hi Melanie! :) 

 

I’m here with the review you requested a few weeks ago! Ooh, Remus Lupin/Madam Rosmerta? What a rare pair ;) Honestly though, I’m seriously in love with how you’ve written this piece! The light transitions from the present to memories and back again is just so good and so well done, it’s a seamless thing. You’ve also done the parallel storyline through the thought processes of Remus and Rosmerta, which I think is lovely. It can be tricky to not feel like you’re just rehashing things over and over, but these two characters have different enough backstories that it works here. I expected more romance between them, but I’m honestly actually okay with the close friendship they have here instead. It’s a nice building block for something more, if you’d like it to be. Your version of Remus is more pain-filled, hesitant than other fics I’ve read, but I feel like that is probably more true to canon in terms of how he’d be doing as an adult after Hogwarts. Rosmerta’s hidden sadness is done very well too, and she can still be a bright and cheerful barmaid at the same time because that’s how people often have to be. Overall, I really liked this piece and thought you did a very good job with such a rare pair! :) 

 

~MadiMalfoy



Author's Response:

Hey Madi, thank you so much for this!

I did kind of intentionally leave the romance thing vague, but I'm happy you were still able to enjoy it all the same!

Remus has such a rich depth of character, he's a joy to write, and one thing that always struck me about him and absolutely killed me was this pervasive sense of loneliness and isolation throughout his life. From there I got the idea of these two people who so obviously admire or respect each other, unable to see the worth in themselves. Rosmerta was fun to explore and create some back story for.

Thank you again!

Melanie



Name: Felpata_Lupin (Signed) · Date: 01 Dec 2019 06:30 PM · For: Sixteen years later

Hello, Melanie! Here with your requested review! :)

Also, I don't think I've ever properly welcomed you to HPFT, so... welcome! I'm glad you joined our little online family! :D

You're right, I adore Remus! And I think you captured his character just brilliantly here! <3

I would've never thought of Remus/Rosmerta as a ship, and to be completely honest it's not even a real ship... more a school days crush and some kind of connection that comes with shared memories and loneliness and that could potentially blossom into a sweet friendship. And I'm all there for it!

It's incredible how similar their thoughts processes are, even if their life experiences are so different. But I guess in some way their life experiences are similar, too, even if for very different reasons... I love how you highlight that, how you show that they both couldn't fulfill their dreams because of external circumstances and found themselves sort of trapped into their own lives, how they are both alone, without anyone to rely on or that would even care about their destiny... If I were to die tomorrow, nobody would notice./If I died tomorrow, they'd find someone to replace me, and the world wouldn't bat so much as an eyelash. Those two lines are so painful and heartbreaking and just so powerful! And I might've teared up a bit as you reminded me once again of the unfairness and tragedy that is Remus' life!

I really, really loved the way you mixed the memories and the present time, it was incredibly effective! And I loved your characterization of all the Marauders, those ridicolous boys... I love them with all my heart!

It's not a long piece, but it gave me all the feels and I'm so grateful you requested a review for it because I adored reading it!

Thank you so much for stopping by my review thread with this lovely story! And welcome once again!

Lots of love and snowball hug,

Chiara



Author's Response:

Thank you so much, Chiara! Remus really is a tragic character, even more so because he is such a good person. If I ever were to write more Marauders, I think I'd focus on him. I envision him as sort of an old soul, and there's something so compelling about how he keeps moving forward despite everything bad that has happened. I liked exploring the irony of someone admiring him and simultaneously thinking all the terrible things about herself as he thinks about himself.

Thank you for the kind welcome and this thoughtful review!

Melanie



Name: Noelle Zingarella (Signed) · Date: 24 Nov 2019 04:23 AM · For: Sixteen years later

Hi Melanie! I’m here for our swap :D

 

When I saw that this story was Remus/Rosmerta I had to click on it! I never would have thought to pair them together and I’m excited to see what you do with them.

 

I’m so glad you came to our archive—your writing is lovely! I really appreciate the nostalgic tone of this story. It feels like it’s in sepia—these memories of happier days when four young marauders used to come hang out at this Pub and the cute young barmaid would banter with them and sneak them free drinks. But all of those days are gone now. Too many of the people who were young then are dead, and the others are unreachable—at least for Remus.

 

The symmetry of this story is part of what makes it so lovely (I’m a sucker for symmetry, just so you know). The way that you get into Remus’s head is so on point—he really can’t see anything positive in himself, can he? He looks at his life and sees only failure, to the point that when this nice young lady, Rosmerta, asks him a simple question, he’s sent into a spiral of self-accusation where he lays out all the ways that he is inferior to himself. It’s like he won’t let himself connect with her because he feels that he isn’t worthy. And it’s so sad—because I think that any one who really knows Remus would look at his life and tell it very differently. None of the things that he holds up as evidence of his failure are his fault. And the fact that he has endured so much pain and is still kind and—to some degree—hopeful, shows that he is a fine, and worthy person. I love how you capture all of this here!

 

I was not expecting at all, when you shift to Rosmerta’s perspective, that she would be feeling much the same way about herself. But it makes all the sense in the world that someone who was stuck at a job and in a place where she didn’t want to be would think all those things. I’ve always pictured Rosmerta as being older, but I like this younger, sadder version of her. She feels like she’s watched her life go by too and has missed out on so much. She feels like a failure too. But she’s able to take the first step here and reach out to Remus.

 

I hope that they are able to connect and help each other.

 

A really fine piece! Thank you for the swap, and I can’t wait to read more of your writing :D

 

Yours,

Noelle



Author's Response:

Hi Noelle!

Ooh, "feels like it's in sepia" might be one of the coolest things anyone has ever said to me about a fic of mine! I love it, and that does evoke the tone I was going for here.

 

I don't write a lot of Marauders (except for some reeeeally cliche stuff I did when I first started, which we won't talk about), but Remus is such a tragic, beautiful character. I loved the idea of sticking him in this ironic situation where he and another character see the value in one another but not in themselves. But I wanted to keep the situation frustrated and realistic - not a magical realization on both their parts and the sudden development of a relationship, but an enduring insecurity and uncertainty.

 

Rosmerta's age was an interesting thing to try to pin down. All we knew from canon was that she recalled the Marauders, and Ron had a thing for her when he was 13. So if I try to imagine what a 13 year-old boy is into, I'm not sure I can imagine Rosmerta being much older than maybe 40 during POA. So in this fic she's just about pushing 40.

 

Sometimes I think I might like to come back to this and explore this dynamic a little more. But I need to deal with these other plot bunnies first. :D

 

Thank you so much for your thoughtful review!

Melanie



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