There's Always A Story

Drabble Community Invite: day_by_drabble

cae_prince — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 05:01:37 GMT

Ever feel like you could write for just about any fandom, for any prompt and at any time? Well this community is for you!

Started by my friends mrstater and godricgal after a successful International Women's Day Drabblethon. People saw the need for a multi-fandom drabble community and thus began day_by_drabble

Read and familiarize yourselves with the rules and then come and introduce yourselves and get to know other writers.

The first drabble event, April Showers Drabblethon, kicks off on April 8th! Hoping to see y'all there!

Barney / Robin : Fanfiction Recommendations

cae_prince — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:45:43 GMT

So I decided to do a Rec Post for Barney Stinson / Robin Scherbatsky of How I Met Your Mother. Neil Patrick Harris and Cobie Smulders have amazing chemistry, making BroTP one of the best ships on TV.

First things first: This list is an exhaustive collection of Barney / Robin fictions I've read and are, by no means, the only good ones around. There are lots more. I'd recommend looking at this Delicious bookmarklet for all BroTP fanfictions.

Second: None of the stories in this list belong to me. They are the wonderful creations of their exceptional authors. The characters of HIMYM do not belong to me either, they belong to Carter and Bays.

Now on with the list:

Metal Heart by the_spin @ kartography
Summary: she’s never heard a love story like this one.
Why I like it: Because it is simply, one of the most EPIC BroTP fanfic out there. Seriously. This is the fiction that got me into actually reading BroTP fanfiction. It is always quite a challenge to write Barney - to go that extra mile to make a cad a very lovable, albeit quirky, character. the_spin does just that - her Barney is so very deliciously dirty (I mean that in a good way). And along with Robin, you cannot help but fall in love with him.

Best Imitation of Myself by solojones
Summary: Barney Stinson has always been good at putting on a show. But it's becoming harder and harder to hide his true feelings, and his true self, from Robin.
Why I like it: For the angst, and for the fact that it makes Barney more human than the show makes him out to be. This was one of the two HIMYM fics that made me cry. Oh and yes, the Star Wars Laser Tag!

The Trouble with Barney by stablergirl
Summary: Barney and Robin make a wager and things get awkward and then complicated and then awful and then great.
Why I like it: stablergirl's characterizations are so spot-on, you have to remind yourself that it's fanfiction. This story underlines how much these two characters are so suited for each other.

Box Full o'honey by idioticonion
Summary: A fourth of July weekend full of miscommunication and misunderstanding. Robin and Barney finally talk.
Why I like it: idioticonion is the queen of all things BroTP - I love all her Barney/Robin stories. And this story tops my list of all stories written by her.

The Rules of a Relationship by katayla
Summary: Barney and Robin share their relationship rules with the gang.
Why I like it: This fiction reads like one of the scripts from the show! katayla has all their voices down to a T. It's authentic HIMYM humour.

Objections by unzadi
Summary: The only one saying "I Do!" at Barney's wedding is Robin!
Why I like it: Robin undoes her terrible (it really is!) matchmaking. YAY!

Fool Me Once, Fool Me Twice by hyacinthian
Summary: Their official story, on the record, is that they don't have a story. But their not-story spans months, years.
Why I like it: Epic future!fic that sees the gang except Barney and Robin move on with their lives, and how our couple copes with that before realising that they have changed, too. The Barney/Robin romance is subtle in this. Wonderful read!

Leave No Man Behind by jlh
Summary: "So can I have your coffee table?"
"What?"
"Like you can bring all your stuff with you to the Casbah."
"The Casbah is in Algeria. I'm moving to Morocco"
"Whatever. So can I have your coffee table?"
Why I like it: Barney / Robin and a marriage of convenience written in a completely believable way. Barney and Robin are Barney and Robin! They don't fall in love easily. They don't do commitment. They don't do marriage! And yet - here, they really do. Read it, you'll love it!

John Denver Said it Better by stablergirl
Summary: Ann Hale is a regular woman, a dog walker living in SoHo. Her life is about to change when she meets Barney Stinson in the last place you'd expect to find Barney Stinson - church.
Why I like it: It's not very often that I get to read from the POV of an OFC. It's also not very often that I get to read an OFC who is not a Mary Sue. And when you add Barney/Robin angst into the mix, it becomes the perfect blend of awesomeness that was ever written in a story. Did I mention that this is the other story that made me choke up? No? Well, I'm telling you now.

Take These Leaps and Bounds by wordsflow
Summary: She knows these things, and that's always going to be enough for them.
Why I like it: Another awesome take on the Barney/Robin dynamic. They are not your conventional couple. They are not Ted with his idealized views on marriage. They are definitely not Lily and Marshall who go by the nick-names, Lilypad and Marshmallow ;)

Into The Dark by gypsyjr
Summary: For some people, falling in love is a gradual series of realizations.
Why I like it: For its awesomeness. Robin realizing that she's been looking too hard for something that's been there all along. And also for the conversations Barney and Robin have with Ted.

My Slumbering Heart by redkay23
Summary: This is AU from Three Days of Snow. As Lily counsels Barney on his feelings for Robin, Robin finds help from an unexpected source.
Why I like it: For the Robin / Marshall friendship. Marshall's dorkiness. Lily's not-so-subtle interference. And yes, the prologue - which gives you a good enough hint that you're about to read a truly well-written story!

The Benefits of A Heart Broken Over Time by secondmezzanine
Summary: Tag to Episode 4.12, Benefits. Barney deals with his feelings for Robin.
Why I like it: OK, so I lied before. This story belongs to the list of HIMYM fics that made me cry. Seriously. Angsty!Barney is always a good thing. Makes him far more human. The author is right - Benefits is a heartbreaking episode and this tag does that episode full justice and then some.

This list is not complete, yet. I will be adding to it, as I fish out the stories from my reading list.

Polaroid Brushes

cae_prince — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 17:34:52 GMT

A Set of 7 Brushes . abr file for PS7
DOWNLOAD at My Deviant Art

- Please Comment if Taking
- Credit cae_prince
- Do not claim as your own
- Do not redistribute
- Feel free to friend cae_prince for more updates

Cross posted to:
100x100_brushes icon_extras resourcelove

Fic Repost : Home for Christmas

cae_prince — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:58:18 GMT

This was a fic I wrote for the metamorfic_moon Christmas Moon Fic Advent at LiveJournal. I realised I didn't have it in my journal here, so decided to repost it.

Title : Home for Christmas
Author: cae_prince
Rating / Warning : T / PG-13 (for mild sexual situations)
Prompts : Memories and A Choir
Genre : : Romance / Humour.
Word Count : 5,000
Summary : Tonks’ Christmas Eve is ruined. Can Remus change that?
Author’s Notes : My first attempt at Remus/Tonks, even though I’ve been following the R/T fandom for over a year. Lots of credit and kudos to my wonderful beta, mrstater, who gently prodded me into attempting a fiction – and then worked with me patiently through every paragraph in this piece. This fiction is therefore dedicated to her.
I owe you one, hon.
Oh and the title is her inspiration too :)

The fiction won Runner Up for the Best Use of General Prompts

……………….

Crash!

Remus Lupin looked up from reading the Daily Prophet at the sound of what seemed like glass shattering on the floor in the bedroom. He grinned, and then mentally counted to five.

"Bugger!"

He set the paper on the table, rose from his comfortable armchair, and made his way towards the bedroom he shared with the young woman responsible for the noise.

But as he reached the doorway, he stopped short as he took in the sight within.

The entire room seemed to have been turned inside out. It looked as though a tornado had whipped through it, decided it had not done a good wrecking job, and therefore whipped through it a second time. Clothes - both his and hers - littered the floor, and the bed seemed to have disappeared under the rest of clothes that were not on the floor. On the floor below his bedside table, were the shattered remains of Remus' bedside lamp – knocked down by the shirt which was lying on the table.

And in the midst of the chaos, stood Nymphadora Tonks, his partner of nearly two years, who seemed to be looking for something, all the while muttering heatedly to herself.

Remus was sure that the muttered diatribe had nothing to do with whatever she seemed to be searching for. He distinctly heard the words "slave-driver", "insensitive prat" and "damp-squid" sputtered out along with other indecipherable epithets, none of which seemed to apply to any inanimate article.

"Where the dickens did I put those infernal robes?" Her voice was laced with irritation, and the question that was followed by more mutterings expressed in an eloquence that only Tonks possessed.

And she still hadn't noticed Remus' presence.

"Good Morning," he greeted, allowing a casual note to creep into his voice.

He watched, amused, as her head whipped around partly in surprise and partly in annoyance. Her eyes, which were an unusual shade of gold, glinted with suppressed emotion, and her cherry red hair seemed to crackle with irritation. Both features combined with the dark green t-shirt that she wore made her look decidedly festive, Remus thought.

"Says who?" Tonks demanded as she returned to the task of locating her robes.

"Nymphadora--"

"Don't call me Nymphadora!"

"Nymphadora," he re-iterated, ignoring her admonishment as usual. "Don't be like this. I know you're ups--"

"Upset? Oh, I'm far past the point of being upset, Remus. This goes beyond upset and borders along the point of feeling murderous."
She dug into the mess on the bed again – this time by dumping any clothes that were not robes on the floor. Remus' innate sense of order was screaming at him to step in and prevent any further mess. But with her current frame of mind, he ran the risk of being hexed into the next century – so he held his peace.

"Tonks," he tried again. "This is ridiculous. We still get to be together at the end of the day."

"It isn't the same, especially when it's Christmas Eve," she said with a groan "Christmas is a time to be spent with family and the ones you love." She gave up looking for her robes momentarily and slumped miserably on the edge of the bed. When she looked up at him, her wide eyes glistened slightly. "It's our first Christmas together in nearly two years."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, two years!" she insisted. "Christmas before last – well - we weren't together."

Remus felt his heart lurch at her distress. The last two years had seemed like one long year to him – as though there hadn't been any Christmas until now. He still remembered – not that he would ever forget – the Christmas they had spent apart with painful clarity. Being surrounded by the people who cared about him - Harry and the Weasleys – had done nothing to alleviate the pain he felt at being separated from the woman he loved. The guilt, however, far outweighed the pain when he perceived what the separation had done to Tonks. Even now, as she stood in front of him with her cherry hair and golden eyes, the memory of that mousy brown hair and eyes that had lost their light flashed before him causing his chest to tighten while his heart took up residence somewhere in the bottom of his stomach.

He took a step closer to the bed as she continued, "And last Christmas, we were, but, there was hardly any cause to celebrate." She paused and turned her head away.

Yes, Christmas seemed to have bypassed them last year as well – or maybe it had just stopped in its tracks. The darkness – the evil had been at its peak during that time. And Remus and Tonks had been in the frontlines, defending and protecting Wizard-kind. They fought side by side, yet they seemed far away from each other - each occupied in their own thoughts of revenge and justice.

Remus gazed at Tonks now – her head was still bowed. He took one more step closer to her. She broke the silence again.

"I was hoping to indulge in some festive fun, y'know, just the two of us. For a whole week or even a few days leading upto Christmas. But no, Gawain 'Pighead' Robards has to play the Grinch!"

She stood up and scrunched her face up, her appearance and tone mimicking that of the Head Auror's. "I'm sorry, Miss Tonks! Christmas is a very tricky time. And we're not taking any chances." She scrunched up her face again, and much to Remus' amusement, her appearance took on the green complexion and wrinkled skin of Dr. Seuss' famous character. "Report here at the given time or you're in trouble, Miss Tonks!"

She slid back to her old self and went back to rummaging for the robes, emitting a low cry of victory as she located them under a pile of clothes.

As she straightened up from shaking her robes, Remus stepped closer to her and pulled her into his arms.

"This job isn't even worth it, Remus." She sighed, slipping her arms around his waist.

"Nymphadora," he said, settling one hand on the small of her back, while the other slid up and came to cup the back of her neck. "I'm sorry we won't be spending the day together."

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of being in his arms. She turned her head from his shoulder and pressed her face into his chest, and seemed to draw comfort from his hands, which he was now running up and down her back.

"I'll be at Grimmauld Place when you get back," he told her. "Harry Flooed me half an hour ago to invite us and the Weasleys to spend Christmas there. He's even got Sirius' old room ready for you and me. Everyone's going to be there. Even Hermione."

"Really?" Tonks was surprised. "I thought she'd be with her parents."

"So did I," he gave a low chuckle. "But I rather think she wanted to spend this Christmas with a certain someone."

"Ron." She smiled. "Of course. It's their first Christmas, too, yeah?"

"I guess so. And Harry's and Ginny's too."

Tonks suddenly giggled as an absurd thought struck her, "Voldemort never really had a chance, did he?"

"What?" His hands stilled their movement on her back.

She raised her head from his chest and looked up into his curious gaze. "There was a little more love in the world," she said, her eyes suddenly taking on a familiar shade of periwinkle with an even more familiar twinkle. "The power he knew not."
She grinned as his chest shook with quiet laughter.

"So between you and me," Remus said, "Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, Bill and Fleur and Arthur and Molly… " He shook his head amusedly. "That's five couples in the Order itself. Oh, he stood no chance. There was just a little too much love in the world – for him, that is."

She nodded, her expression only slightly serious, and looked into his eyes. He gazed back at her steadily. He raised his hand and gently scuffed her cheek with the pad of his thumb before lowering his head to press his lips against hers.

She brought her arms around his neck, pressing herself closer to him as the kiss deepened.

When they finally broke apart, Tonks kept her hands around his neck, her fingers playing with the hairs at the back of his head.
"I'll drop directly in at Grimmauld after work then," she told him. "But I have to get a move on now, or else I'll find myself on duty on Christmas day too."

A while later, as Remus walked Tonks to the Apparition point, Tonks looped her arm through his and said softly, "Thank you, Remus."
"Whatever for, love?" He looked genuinely astonished.

"For this morning. For everything." She gazed into his eyes, "I was wrong, you know?"

"Tonks, you're speaking in riddles," He said, rolling his eyes in mock-exasperation.

"Prat," she admonished. "I'm serious, OK."

"Sorry, dear." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "What were you wrong about?"

"This job is worth going to."

"And why is it worth it, Nymphadora?" he asked softly.

"Because," she reached up on tip-toes, her face inches away from his. "At the end of the day, I get to come home to you."
They closed the distance between their lips.

……………….

It was nearly nine at night when Tonks finally let herself into twelve, Grimmauld Place. Her hair, which had been a sparkly red when she'd left, now hung in limp, dull maroon-ish waves. Her head throbbed, and her feet felt like dead weights.

The house, which now belonged to Harry, was decked out in all its festive glory.

The house-elf heads no longer graced the walls of the hallway, and red, green and gold tinsel twinkled with a magically enhanced glitter that caused them to cast a multicoloured mixture of lights on the ceiling -- a Weasley Wheeze, one of their harmless products that bore the rather cheesy name of Tinsel Twinklers.

From across the room, Tonks could hear the warbling voice of Celestina Warbeck singing that dreaded song that she had often likened to nails scratching on a blackboard – behind Molly's back, of course.

"Oh, come and stir my cauldron,
And if you do it right...
I'll boil you up some hot, strong love
To keep you warm tonight"

The song seemed all the more grating tonight, and in conjunction with her headache, seemed to twist the nerves in her temple even more painfully. Pressing two fingers into the side of her head, she pushed the kitchen door open. The entire Weasley clan, plus Harry and Hermione, were congregated around table. The twins were huddled together at one corner, apparently sniggering at the rapt expression on their mother's face as she listened to her favourite songstress. Arthur was perusing some reports, a faint frown creasing his eyebrows. Bill and Fleur were cuddled in the love seat that sat in a secluded corner of the room. Ginny and Hermione, seated near Arthur, seemed to be debating earnestly on some subject, that Tonks was sure involved the two boys currently engaged in a rousing game of Wizard's Chess.

Her eyes continued to scan the room, until they fell on him. Remus was seated in the big armchair at the corner nearest to the fireplace. An old book rested open and facedown on the arm of the chair. He definitely seemed to have been looking out for her and the eager expression on his face was an irrefutable indication.

"Wotcher, everyone!" Tonks said, her tone belying her fatigue.

The whole room at once stirred from their common inertia at her cheery greeting.

Almost instantly, Molly was at her side, asking if she'd had dinner. Tonks politely declined, insisting (a fair bit of insisting, it was) that she wasn't hungry and that she had eaten during her shift.

Arthur and the twins returned her greeting, while Ginny and Hermione grinned broadly from their spot. Harry and Ron, however, continued to be engrossed in the game. She could hear the protesting squeaks from the chess pieces as their players ordered them to fatal positions.

Finally she made her way to Remus' chair, and plopped herself wearily onto his lap, into his waiting arms. From the corner of her eye, she could make out Molly's delighted expression and over her shoulder, the twins' smirks. Ignoring them, she buried her head in the crook of Remus' neck.

"Bad day?" his voice was a soft rumble in her ears.

"You've no idea," she said, eliciting a low groan, which turned into a sound of pleasure when he raked his fingers over her scalp with a light pressure.

"Tell me," he instructed gently as he continued to massage her scalp with his long fingers.

"Have you ever spent an entire day walking the same route back and forth a zillion times, with a sullen faced partner added into the mix? Albert Moue is his name. The man kept throwing this look that'd put Moaning Myrtle -- or even The Bloody Baron -- to shame. Zero sense of humour. Brandished his wand at every passing opportunity. Would you believe he scared a couple of kids who were squabbling over some toy? He reduced them to bawling messes." She rolled her eyes. "I think he's more of a Grinch than Robards. At the end of the day, even I'd started to feel like saying 'bah! Humbug!' just by being with him."

She sighed as she turned in his lap, draping her legs over the arm of the chair. His right hand came to rest on her thighs, with his fingers tracing indistinguishable patterns on the fabric of her trousers. The other hand still continued to soothe the ache in her head.
The sat like that for a little while until he finally broke the silence.

"But now you're here," he started. "How about we indulge in some festive fun as you wished?"

All fatigue forgotten, Tonks sat up in his lap as her eyes took on their original mischievous sparkle. "What d'you have in mind?"

"We'll see," he took her hand and turned to the rest of the room. "Tonks and I are going to head to bed."

"Oh, Tonks, are you sure you won't have something before you go?" Molly asked anxiously. "There's hot cider."

"Its fine, Molly." Tonks said as she wound her fingers into Remus' hand.

"We'll see you lot in the morning," they said to the room in general, as they exited to a chorus of good nights and see yous.

……………….

"Mm, this is so soft," Tonks said, as she plopped herself delightedly in the middle of a four-poster bed, her legs dangling over the side. "I could lie here all day."

Remus shook his head amusedly as he stood over her. "Not so fast, my dear." He grabbed hold of one of her boot-clad legs and undid one of the clasps of the black leather boots she usually wore to work. "You need to change out of these smelly things first." At her mischievous look, he added, "On your own."

Tonks adopted a mock pout.

"Once the kids are definitely asleep," Remus said in a huskier tone, taking her hand and pulling her into a sitting position, "I'll definitely help in getting you out of your clothes."

She sniggered and stood up, so that she was almost at eye-level with him. "I might be asleep by then too."

"I doubt it, Nymphadora," he said, looking straight into her eyes.

"You cocky git!" She shoved him playfully. "I'll get you back one of these days."

"I don't doubt it." He caught her hand and pulled her up against him. "I'll definitely look forward to it." He slid his hands down her back, till they came to rest on her bum. He grinned down at her parted lips and then without breaking their gaze, he lightly squeezed her bum and then abruptly let go of her – not missing her surprised expression – to rummage in their suitcase for a set of clean clothes for them to wear for the night.

"Tease," she said.

"Marauder," he corrected her over his shoulder.

"Git," she mumbled.

He tossed a nightshirt in her direction, while he selected a T-Shirt and the matching pyjama bottoms of the shirt he had given her.
"And I heard that."

"Good. I wanted you to," she replied as she moved towards the bathroom.

A little while later, Tonks stepped out of the bathroom to find Remus sitting on the bed, his long legs stretched out in front of him. The wireless that he had brought from their flat was playing Christmas Carols - the programme that was called "A Very Muggle Christmas" and played the popular Muggle versions of Christmas songs.

They'd listened to the programme together once before, during the Christmas Sirius had been alive. Remus had told her then that he listened every year, because the Muggle carols reminded him of his mother. Remus' parents had instilled the best of both their worlds in their only son. It explained a lot of Remus' lifestyle, Tonks reflected: from his love for Muggle Classics, to his apparent ease at blending flawlessly into the Muggle world without consciously trying to, the latter being something that very few wizards achieved.
He was softly humming along with the strains of a choir that filled the room - which he had Imperturbed to avoid disturbing the other residents of the house.

We three kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder Star.

Tonks climbed into bed beside him, settling against his side.

Remus' gaze, however, remained locked on the cupboard that stood in front of him, scrutinising it as if he'd never seen it before. Tonks gazed at it, too. It seemed to be an ordinary enough cupboard. She looked at him again and realised his eyes were trained on something at the top of the cupboard. And she saw it – three strange shadows seemed to flickering eerily in the candlelight on the wall behind.
"Remus? What is it?"

Without replying, Remus slid out of bed and went to the cupboard. Tonks watched with astonishment as he raised his tall frame to stand on his toes, and withdrew the object that had created the shadows

He came back to the bed, his eyes not leaving the object that he held in his hands. She still could not see what it was in the semi-darkness of the room.

She held her breath as he finally dropped it on the bed – and wariness turned to amused incredulity when she saw what it was. And Remus' smirk did nothing to help her bafflement.

"Muggle stuffed toys?" she asked in a squeak.

Remus chuckled as he sat on the edge of the bed and held them up in front of her. "Can't you see what toys they are?"

"A stag, a dog and…"

"A wolf," Remus finished, as Tonks took it from him.

"Moony, Padfoot and Prongs," she murmured, staring at it and the other two dolls, curiosity rippling through her.

"Yes," Remus said as he resumed his original position on the bed, clasping the stag and dog in his hands. Tonks snuggled against him, still holding the wolf. "These toys were a little whim on Sirius' part."

He looked at the replicas for a while without saying a word. He then set both of them on the side table before turning to her. "Did I ever tell you about the Lupin Christmas tradition?"

"No," Tonks shook her head, pressing the wolf closer to her chest.

He smiled at her gesture, before reaching over and slipping the toy out of her grasp and settling next to its companions on the table. He settled more comfortably against the pillows and pulled her so that she was lying almost on top of him. One of his hands rested on the curve of her hip while the other hand stroked the top of her own, which was resting palm-down on his chest.

"The Lupin Christmas tradition was simply a walk through Muggle London at night."

"Muggle London?" Tonks grinned, her anticipation rising with every word.

"Yes." He tilted his head to look down at her. "Christmas in Muggle London is always a sight to see." he smiled at her bewildered expression. "It's got a charm of its own. And every year I always make it a tradition to walk down those streets to watch the festivities."
Tonks smiled wistfully, "I never had any traditions like that." She looked at him, noticing the soft smile playing on his features. That gave her the encouragement she needed. "Would you take me there tomorrow, Remus?"

"I'd love to take you, sweetheart," He planted a kiss on her forehead. "I want to share that tradition with you."

He had said it rather casually, but Tonks detected a hint of sadness in the hoarse voice of her partner. To comfort him, and encourage him to explain, Tonks squeezed the hand that was holding hers. And when he looked down at her again, she locked her gaze with his, hoping he would understand the question in her eyes.

"It was a tradition before my father died," he explained. "Since I was a little boy, Mum and Dad would set aside a day during the holidays on which we'd put on our Muggle best and head out to the heart of the city. My parents, Mum especially, loved it."

"Because she was Muggle-born," Tonks said.

Remus nodded. "I would ride on Dad's shoulders, since he was tall, and from my vantage point, it was almost as if I could see the entire city at once." His tone was now decidedly dreamy. His intense blue eyes had softened, though the sparkle still remained. The light fringe of hair falling into his eyes only enhanced the boyishness.

Tonks listened while she pictured a small boy with light sandy hair and bright blue eyes, riding high on the shoulders of an older version of the man lying next to her.

"And then," Remus went on, "we'd stop outside the big display windows of the shopping centres, and just look at the things on display. Dad used to love this bit." A faint grin graced his features. "He'd ask Mum a hundred and odd questions about everything. And she'd explain them all, slowly and patiently – about the little candy dispenser or the Walkman…." He paused. "And Dad…. He'd lap it all up, 'Did you hear that, Remus?' 'isn't that ingenious, Remus?'"

"Y'know who your Dad reminds me of?" Tonks asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.

Remus let out a low chuckle, "Yes. I do know. But, you see there is a difference. While Dad was genuinely intrigued by Muggle life like Arthur, he was never usually the type to get overly excited about it. He just acted that way, since I was with them. It was one of his little ways to keep me entertained and happy."

"I take it you continued this tradition after you joined Hogwarts," she realized, indicating the toys which were lying on the bedside table.
"Yes" he nodded. "And in our fifth year holidays, James and Sirius joined me."

Tonks grinned, "That must have been fun."

"It was fun. It was James and Sirius' first full-fledged Muggle London trip. So needless to say, they were excited. And their enthusiasm made it quite the Christmas to remember. One of the best I've had to date."

Tonks nodded. "Of course, they would make it the best. And they bought these stuffed toys then?"

"One of the stores my parents always used to stop by was at the Muggle toy shop – Mum and Dad wanted me to have the best of both worlds. And since we seemed to be spending our Wizard money on trying to find a cure for me, Mum indulged me with Muggle toys. So the toy-store was one of the few shops we always visited during these sprees. And even when I outgrew them, the tradition still remained – just for the fun of checking out the newest additions."

"So bookshops aren't the only ones you like to browse," Tonks teased.

"No," he said, reaching a hand out and tugging at a lock of her hair. "And on that particular day, I took James and Sirius into that shop." he paused. "Before we entered the shop, my Mum and I had cautioned them. I was quite apprehensive, knowing those two as I did."
"For the most part, James and Sirius seemed almost un-impressed by the Muggle toys. Wind-up toys and those toys with strings and the stationary dolls seemed quite mundane to those two. We – Sirius mostly - had a whale of a time poking fun at the 'silly little monsters' –" Tonks raised her eyebrows, and he added, quickly, "Sirius' words, not mine."

"We continued in this vein until we reached a display of stuffed toys. It was a literal menagerie – and the wolf caught Sirius' eyes." He took the toy off the stand once more and looked at it with a fond expression. "And Sirius, being Sirius, couldn't resist a whim. So he looked around and found the stag, dog and rat. It was uncharacteristically sentimental of him, but the rest of us didn't need to question him."

Tonks listened to the story with a mixture of amusement and sadness – her cousin's quirks were almost legendary. And though Remus had not admitted it, she knew that little gesture was Sirius' pledge of loyalty to him.

And that's when it struck her.

"You said there was a stag, a dog, a wolf and a rat." She paused. "Where's the rat?"

"Where do you think, Nymphadora?"

She giggled. "Knowing Sirius, he must have done something really bad to it."

"I don't know what he did to it. I only just realized he still had these," he replied. "But whatever he did to it, I'm sure it would have been well deserved."

His statement had been uttered with a chuckle, but Tonks sensed the sadness in his tone. Remus had never openly acknowledged that he was the only Marauder left – but Tonks knew that the thought was never far from his mind –and all because one of them had turned traitor. Peter. The tag-along. The pushover. The apparent weakling who was forever seeking protection with James, Sirius, and Remus.
Remus, in his final encounter with Peter, had exacted his revenge for James and Sirius. And Tonks - who had been witness to that scene – had seen the look on Remus' face as he pressed his wand into Peter's throat. It had been one of pure hatred. And with a voice that was unlike his, he told Peter that it was time for him, Remus, to do what he ought to have done three years back.

In that one moment, Remus had shown what a powerful wizard he really was – and what he was capable of, given the chance.
And that night, after it was all over, Tonks held him as he cried – for the first time ever since he was bitten.

And now, it was Christmas, Tonks thought. A time to rejoice. A time to be glad. A time to bring good cheer to the ones you loved – especially the one who was staring at a Muggle toy as if it were a long-lost relative.

Struck by a sudden urge, she suddenly reached out for the two toys still standing on the table, took the wolf from Remus' hands and arranged them in a row on his chest. She sat up, her eyes twinkling as she broke into song.

We three kings of Marauder-kind are,
Bearing tricks we traversed afar,
Field and Forest, Castle and Village,
Nothing to fear or care.

Remus broke into an appreciative laugh, when she finished the song with a flourish. He swept the toys off his chest and pulled her once again on top of him.

"Nymphadora Tonks, you never cease to amaze me," he told her.

"Ta," she said with a grin. She moved so that she was straddling him. "The kids must definitely be asleep now," she settled her hands on his shoulders.

"Yes," he deadpanned. "So?"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"So" she moved her hands to his sides and dug her fingers threateningly into them.

"Ow! If that's supposed to spur me on..." He pried the offending fingers away and pulled her down so that their faces were inches apart. "...You still have a lot to learn about Marauder-kind." He rolled her over. "Sometimes," he slid his right hand under her shirt and moved it upwards to rest on the underside of her breast. "You'll find that all it takes is a little bit of direct action."

"As opposed to?" her breath hitched as the hand strayed downwards, coming to rest just above her lacy knickers.

"Vindictive coercion," his lips came down on hers, as she let out a small squeak which soon turned into a giggle as he divested her of her shirt.

……………….

Later, as they laid, tangled among the sheets, Remus confided to Tonks, "You know, I agree with your comment this morning. Your job is worth it."

"And why is it worth it, Remus?" she grinned at him.

"Because," he told her. "At the end of the day, you come home to me."

"I love you. Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

"I love you. Merry Christmas, Nymphadora." He smothered her retort by pressing his lips to hers again.

Fin

A Furry Furry Happy Birthday!

cae_prince — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:46:35 GMT

So today's everyone's favourite werewolf's birthday! So what's a better way to celebrate than a small little birthday fic!

Title: Chocolate Cake
Characters: Remus, Tonks and Teddy
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Don't own them. Never will.
Timeline: Strictly AU, ignores the crapilogue.
Warnings: Un-beta'ed. No plot.

Author’s Note: PWP, just a small fic on how I envisioned Remus spending a birthday morning with his family – Dora and Teddy. There is no story to this… just a drabble and me testing the waters of writing again after a long while. So blame any rustiness on that.
Its not the best. But I do plan to tweak this sometime. I just wanted to get this posted today. So if its rushed, I apologise!

The day had started out to be one of those days where he wished he'd never left the security of his bed or the warmth of the body pressed into his side with sleep-mussed curls tickling his chin. The sky outside was overcast, with the promise of another cold and wet morning, with the sun fighting a losing battle against the clouds that tried to block its warming presence.

But Remus Lupin had done just that, when both his infant son and Nature had demanded his attention. Choosing to ignore the latter, he padded across the short hallway towards the room from where sharp and insistent cries of "Mummy" and "Dada" reached his ears. Quickening his pace, he reached the room, but only had enough time to glance at his bawling son, before he felt his legs give way from under him, as the rest of his body followed while his arms flailed about striving to catch the doorpost, but failing miserably.

"Oh, oof!" He hit the floor with a low thump, folding his elbows towards the side in time to prevent the back of his head from smacking the floor.

As he recovered from the shock, his mind dimly registered that the bawling which had drawn him into the room had stopped. Teddy Remus Lupin, aged one, his violet eyes round, seemed to have been shocked into silence (or so, Remus thought) as he watched his father do a flawless imitation of his pink-haired mother.

Still a little dazed, Remus cast his eyes around looking for the cause of his pratfall; locating it almost at once – a toy Ford Anglia, charmed to move on its own (courtesy George Weasley) had crossed his path at that unfortunate moment. Casting a baleful look at it and sparing an exasperated thought for the one-eared Weasley, Remus picked himself off the ground, wincing at the cracking sound his protesting bones made.

“Well, Teddy,” he stepped towards the cot, swooped Teddy out of it and into his arms. “Never seen your Dad do that before? How about we keep this just between us, Teddy? Your Mummy never has to know that Daddy did a good imitation of her, now? Do we?”

Teddy’s only response was a delighted “Da!” which Remus took to mean as concurrence. Except…

“Too late for that, Lupin.”

The voice made him turn around to find his wife leaning against the door post which had eluded his grasp earlier on, a wide grin splitting her elfin face.

Still grinning, Tonks stepped into the room, her eyes still fixed on him and the turquoise-haired toddler in his arms.

“You must know by now, dear husband”, her voice took on a playful lilt as she walked towards him, “that you can’t hide things from an Au… oh oof!”

The errant car was back, this time under the ever-clumsy feet of Dora Lupin. With Remus still out of reach to catch her (even though he had started to move towards her), Gravity bested her as she landed knee first on the floor.

“Mummy fwell”. Teddy squealed as Remus hurried the few steps towards her. He was about to voice a concerned, “Alright?” when he heard her let out a low chuckle.

His face split into a grin identical to the one she had had earlier, as he said, “You must know by now, dearest wife, that one can’t poke fun at a Marauder without consequences”

Her eyes narrowed as she glared up at him from the floor, batting away the free outstretched hand he’d offered to her.

“Watch it, Remus,” she stood up, stepping close to him and their son, “or I just might tell Mum not to make that chocolate cake that you love so much”

Remus’ eyes widened with mock-horror, “You wouldn’t!”

“Sure, I would… or better yet, I’ll tell Molly you called her cake crusty and dry compared to Mum’s cake” Tonks reached for Teddy, pulling him out of his father’s arms. “Shall we, Teddy? We can tell Nana Molly what Daddy said about her cake?”

At that Remus let out a full-blown laugh, the prospect of facing an angry Molly Weasley more preferable to the prospect of no cake at all.

“Love”, he countered as he wound his arm around her shoulder, pulling her to him. “Don’t put ideas into our son’s head. Besides, depriving me of Chocolate cake would also deprive you and Teddy"

He let out another chuckle as his wife elbowed him in the sides.

“Alright” She conceded, “I’ll let this go… for today. Only because its your birthday, and mainly because … I love you. Happy Birthday, love. We have a few gifts waiting downstairs. Don’t we, Teddy?”

“Da!”

Tonks smiled as her husband bent to kiss their son’s cheeks. As he raised his head, he met her eyes and she reached up to press her lips against his, and his hold on her tightened as he kissed her back.

“Da, Toc’late”, Teddy’s voice filtered through their ears pulling them out of their kiss-induced trance.

And sure enough, the smell of Andromeda’s cake wafted through the house, filling their nostrils, beckoning them downstairs.

But yet, Remus felt that all the gifts and chocolate cakes in the world – delicious or crusty – could never replace the gifts he held in his arms.

Fin

Mood Theme Request

cae_prince — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:48:45 GMT

So I was wondering if anyone would be kind enough to make me a mood theme featuring Mac and Stella (Mac, Stella and Mac/Stella) to go with my current journal layout cae_prince ?

You can find caps HERE, HERE and HERE

Thanks a lot in advance

xx

cae_prince — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:19:00 GMT

Just found out someone's re-distributing my brushes! (Thank you, Google!)

Point is, I don't quite know whether to feel angry or flattered - since the brushes are still under my name, but all the same - it irks me that my stuff is getting out there without my knowledge!

Is it wrong the way I'm feeling or should I just let this go?

Keira Knightley = 26 Icons +1 Wallpaper

cae_prince — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:57:19 GMT

26 Keira Knightley Icons + 1 Wallpaper

Preview:

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Created with angelamaria's Icon Table Generator @ Bauble

ETA: One Keira Knightley Wallpaper

Please Comment if Taking
- Credit cae_prince
- Do not claim as your own
- Do not redistribute
- Textless icons are NOT bases!

HQ Resource Post Update

cae_prince — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:58:58 GMT

I have updated my HQ picture List with the latest posts I made made at hires_hotties and this journal.

Updates include Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Claire Forlani, Courteney Cox Arquette and so many others...

CHECK IT OUT

I'm also wondering if I should open a separate journal to post these finds of mine. Any thoughts?

Accomplished!

cae_prince — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:58:51 GMT

After spending nearly an hour - I've finally organized my memories into categorized entries. This should make it easier for me (and others) to find what they're looking for easily - esp. tutorials.

Check them out

cae_prince — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 04:44:21 GMT

To all interested people:

The first of the trivia rounds is up at themed_trivia

CHECK IT OUT!

Community pimpage!

cae_prince — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 05:12:02 GMT

Do you love trivia? Well then this site is for you.

themed_trivia is a weekly trivia round hosting site. Each week, a set of five questions will be posted based on a theme. The questions will have four or five possible answers. Winners are decided based on who gets the answer that is less frequently picked.

Detailed rules have already been posted in the community. Come check it out!

themed_trivia themed_trivia themed_trivia themed_trivia

Font Guide

cae_prince — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 12:31:10 GMT

I worked a long time to put these together. All fonts are free fonts mainly downloaded from Da Font

Without further ado: Click on the thumbnails for the larger version of the guides


A-B	C-E	F-I	J-M	N-R

S-END

ETA: To help matters along, I've also decided to compile a list of the download links of the fonts.
ETA 2: Please remember that some of the fonts listed are commercial fonts and are indicated by a green asterisk "*" next to them.
The list will be under constant construction. So keep checking back to see the updates
Also, since I keep adding new fonts to my collection, the above guide will not reflect those updates. Check the list below to fonts that haven't been listed above.

*****LIST UNDER CONSTRUCTION*****
!, 1-9

!The Black Box

36 Days Ago
A

Adine-Kirnberg Script

Agency FB *

Algerian *

Amazone BT *

Andale Mono *

Arial *

AN ANNOUNCEMENT!

cae_prince — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 01:35:58 GMT

Announcing magnified_crime, a discussion community devoted to today's most popular procedural dramas, moderated by both the lovely eternal_sadist and yours truly.

This is a community designed solely with merit-based discussion in mind, and we're looking for people who enjoy participating in and facilitating strong conversation--even debate. For those of you who are particularly verbose, we're trying to hook you! :) Among the shows covered are those of the CSI and Law & Order franchises, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and Numb3rs, and we're open to more prompting. New discussions will be posted every few days, and for more info, check out our profile page. In the meantime, to tempt you, this is the topic we open with:

2 July 2007:
In light of the interview with Carmine Giovinazzo that CSI Files recently posted, relationships--especially that between Danny Messer and Lindsay Monroe--have been called to the forefront. CSI: NY has put forth several canon relationships this season, to both the dismay and elation of its viewers. Does this help the show? Has it been handled correctly? Does it have more potential than is being grasped? Should the writers have ignored all of this completely and stuck to the procedural portion of procedural dramas?

Come join us!

MEGA HQ POST OF MARILYN MONROE STILLS! ALL HQ!

cae_prince — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:15:10 GMT

My HQ Photo Collection @ hires_hotties & hires_hunks - FRIENDS ONLY

cae_prince — Sat, 12 May 2007 02:43:27 GMT

Resource Post Overhaul!

cae_prince — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:42:53 GMT

Just finished updating and organizing my resource post.

Its taken me quite a bit of an effort in tracking down the makers and sources of all my used resources. I still think I've left some out, and if that is the case, I apologize in advance. Should you see any of your resources used, but not credited, give me a shout - I'll add you in the list.

Cheers,
Cae

::Goes off to catch some much needed shut-eye::

Happy Easter!

cae_prince — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 14:44:14 GMT

To everyone on my F-List

HAPPY EASTER!

Lots of love,

CAROLINE (cae_prince)

Happy Birthday, Sharon Corr!

cae_prince — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:51:59 GMT


Sharon Corr is love
brought to you by the isLove Generator

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHARON!

Happy Birthday, David Thewlis!

cae_prince — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 02:07:13 GMT


David Thewlis is love
brought to you by the isLove Generator

Since it already is 20th March over here, its the birthday of this wonderful actor who plays everyone's favorite werewolf :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAVID!

TO ALL THOSE GRAPHIC MAKERS ON MY F_LIST!

cae_prince — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 02:05:45 GMT

COME HELP ME PIMP selectivecolor! A BRAND NEW COMMUNITY for TUTORIALS FEATURING SELECTIVE COLOR of Photoshop!

Want to learn how to make your crappy screen-captures and images more stunning? JOIN NOW!

selectivecolor selectivecolorselectivecolorselectivecolorselectivecolorselectivecolor
selectivecolor

Tutorial 4

cae_prince — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 01:34:01 GMT

Tutorial 4
Technique: Intermediate - Uses Selective color and Color Balance
Program: PS7
Translatable: No. Sorry, PSP Users :(

We'll be going from:
to

STEP 1:
Prepare your base - crop, sharpen and all that jazz.
I used this picture of Melina Kanakaredes - and made this.

STEP 2:
Go to Layer >> New Adjustment Layer >> Curves.
Click OK (yes! no settings) and set this layer to Screen at an appropriate opacity - I used 100%
>>
Alternatively, of course you could duplicate your base and set it to screen, but I discovered the end-results weren't quite the same.

STEP 3:

Go to Layer >> New Adjustment Layer >> Selective Color.
REDS :
100 / 48 / 53 / 44
YELLOWS :
-1 / -48 / -86 / 0
GREENS :
27 / -27 / 1 / -6
WHITES
-15 / -8 / -10 / -10
NEUTRALS :
65 / 44 / 24 /-48
BLACKS :
100 / 32/ 18 / 3

>>

STEP 4:
Go to Layer >> New Adjustment Layer >> Selective Color.
REDS :
-100 / 92 / 40 / 83
YELLOWS :
85 / 100 / 100 / -100
CYANS :
100 / -60 / -77 / 66
BLUES :
0 / 100 / 47 / 0
WHITES
--46 / -60 / -69 / -2
NEUTRALS :
55 / 32 / -18 / 1
BLACKS :
0 / 2 / 0 / 0

>>

STEP 5:
Go to Layer >> New Adjustment Layer >> Hue/Saturation.
Change only the saturations :
MASTER : 17
REDS: 18
CYANS: -3
BLUES: 6
MAGENTAS: 2
>>

You can leave it at this. But if you're a perfectionist like yours truly, then proceed to step 6 :P

STEP 6:
Create a new layer. Fill it with a light grey color - I used #C7C7C7.
Set this layer to SCREEN. (Looks crappy now, I know.)

With the above grey screen layer still selected, press CTRL + SHIFT + ALT + E
Now set this newly stamped layer to color burn.

>> >>

And you're done.

Here are some examples of icons made using this technique :

If you still have trouble with the settings, let me know, I'll upload the .psd file for anyone who needs it :)

Show me what you come up with.

- Do not claim as your own
- Feel free to friend cae_prince for more updates

Cross posted to:
icon_coloring icon_tutorial icontutorials
icon_extras

New Layout!

cae_prince — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:21:47 GMT

A brand new layout, with a brand new header made by afteriwake at my journal!

I've slowly learnt the basics of S2 CSS - and this was the result.

Credits are also due to
grrliz for her spiffy Flexible Squares Tutorial @ the_lj_reboot
and to
irinafan for a very comprehensive Flexible Squares CSS Guide @ s2flexisquares

My Remus/Tonks 25fluffyfics Claims

cae_prince — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 04:43:21 GMT

1.	Picnic	2.	Hobbies	3.	Sport	4.	Dancing	5.	Holiday
6.	Candles	7.	Breakfast	8.	Dinner	9.	Blankets	10.	Bath
11.	Massage	12.	Hurt	13.	Nightmare	14.	Home	15.	Birthday
16.	Puppy/kitten	17.	Jealousy	18.	Gift	19.	Flowers	20.	Protection
21.	Sunset	22.	Parting	23.	Reunion	24.	Writer’s choice	25.	Writer’s Choice

My Remus/Tonks 100_situations claims table

cae_prince — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 08:04:40 GMT

001.	Disease	002.	Bathroom	003.	Delirious	004.	Autumn	005.	River
006.	Sunset	007.	Relief	008.	Silence	009.	Night	010.	Cry
011.	Fair	012.	Allergy	013.	Death	014.	Table	015.	Early
016.	Criminal	017.	Play	018.	Numbered	019.	Fun	020.	Full
021.	Pack	022.	Taste	023.	Bleach	024.	String	025.	Flu
026.	Court	027.	Dark	028.	Succeed	029.	Truth	030.	Lies
031.	Business	032.	Deception	033.	Enter	034.	Leave	035.	Sneer
036.	Gun	037.	Office	038.	Enemy	039.	Father	040.	Bastard
041.	Furious	042.	Accident	043.	Joke	044.	Benign	045.	Insult
046.	Call	047.	Bonus	048.	Inside	049.	Outside	050.	Traffic
051.	Hand	052.	Lock	053.	Trust	054.	Drugs	055.	Trip
056.	Smoke	057.	Test	058.	Survive	059.	Hang	060.	Commit
061.	Polish	062.	Brave	063.	Cheeky	064.	Rough	065.	Struggle
066.	Relocate	067.	Misguided	068.	Scatter	069.	Bitter	070.	Sweet
071.	Aim	072.	Lost	073.	Confront	074.	Forbid	075.	Disaster
076.	Creature	077.	Organize	078.	Elevate	079.	Safeguard	080.	Emerge
081.	Wild	082.	Fan	083.	Sushi	084.	Crash	085.	Myth
086.	Languid	087.	Nocturnal	088.	Blood	089.	Pitch	090.	Stash
091.	Burst	092.	Rush	093.	Limited	094.	Grim	095.	Beautiful
096.	Writer‘s Choice.	097.	Writer‘s Choice.	098.	Writer‘s Choice.	099.	Writer‘s Choice.	100.	Writer‘s Choice.

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