The characterizations are very sharp. James and Sirius are in danger of stealing scenes with their perfect balance of charm and dreadfulness. I love their physicality with each other. With Remus you've squarely hit on how awkward, unfinished, and horribly earnest a smart sixteen-year-old can be. You can see the roots of the adult he'll become, but he's not there yet and won't be for a while. You've created a great Rosmerta too; since we know so little of her there's a lot of blanks to fill in. It's very appealing how blunt she is about her wants and needs, but there's also an edge of vulnerability to her, like she can only afford to be that way since she's already lost everything.
The dynamic between Remus and Rosmerta is fantastically intense. His fear is so vivid, you really feel how high the stakes are. At times I had to remind myself to breathe. They're treading such a precarious line where what they're doing could take a frightening turn -- it's fascinating how his animal instincts create a scenario where he quite plausibly *can't stop*, and it could so easily become something neither of them wants. They're deliberately playing with the danger, and that is crazy hot.
Lastly I love how intensely she needs him for *what* he is, but is also mindful of *who* he is. She doesn't use him. Although he's physically overpowering her, there is always a level on which she's aware of her role as a more experienced adult, and she takes that responsibility seriously, she doesn't just take what she wants and then throw him away. To me that's hot too!
The characterizations are very sharp. James and Sirius are in danger of stealing scenes with their perfect balance of charm and dreadfulness. I love their physicality with each other. With Remus you've squarely hit on how awkward, unfinished, and horribly earnest a smart sixteen-year-old can be. You can see the roots of the adult he'll become, but he's not there yet and won't be for a while. You've created a great Rosmerta too; since we know so little of her there's a lot of blanks to fill in. It's very appealing how blunt she is about her wants and needs, but there's also an edge of vulnerability to her, like she can only afford to be that way since she's already lost everything.
The dynamic between Remus and Rosmerta is fantastically intense. His fear is so vivid, you really feel how high the stakes are. At times I had to remind myself to breathe. They're treading such a precarious line where what they're doing could take a frightening turn -- it's fascinating how his animal instincts create a scenario where he quite plausibly *can't stop*, and it could so easily become something neither of them wants. They're deliberately playing with the danger, and that is crazy hot.
Lastly I love how intensely she needs him for *what* he is, but is also mindful of *who* he is. She doesn't use him. Although he's physically overpowering her, there is always a level on which she's aware of her role as a more experienced adult, and she takes that responsibility seriously, she doesn't just take what she wants and then throw him away. To me that's hot too!
Great story.