Name: BookDinosaur (Signed) · Date: 23 Mar 2019 12:11 PM · For: Plans

A WILD TEDROMEDA FIC APPEARS!! Madi, thanks so much for alerting me to its existence -- there is never enough Tedromeda fic anywhere, is my firm opinion, and I shall consume this one heartily ♥ (♥ily. sometimes i think i'm funny)

Ack, these two are so cute, this is extremely rude and it hurts my feelings ;-; Ted fretting about her, insisting that the owls deliver their messages, whether in the great hall or the common room, I love it. He is SO sweet about Andromeda's pregnancy and how they're going to deal with it, gah. And Andromeda herself - I love her ;-; She's so headstrong, and even though she's been raised in a Pureblood family she is so thoroughly her own person, and she's SMART and knows how to be SUBTLE about it until she's NOT, which i love! And she just - she has such careful plans but she's willing to re-work them for the baby, and the way that you build the pregnancy so nicely only makes that miscarriage sadder ;-;

The thought of the baby being "such a lovely dream to look forward to" makes me extremely emotional and I could not even tell you why. A dream! I'm [gentle sobbing] can't do the words. Dreams aren't real! I’m an emotion, goodbye.

Except jokes, not quite goodbye because I need to commend you guys one more time - the way that Andromeda ended up choosing Ted makes me want to cheer. Let them be swept away! I love them, and they shall be happy together, amen. Thank you guys for writing this! I am very emotional about it. Maybe you could tell :P

❤Emily

Name: Renacera (Signed) · Date: 29 Jan 2019 08:22 PM · For: Plans

Hello again, dears!

This was so wonderfully written. It broke my heart.

Let's start with plot compliments. First off, I love how you've constructed this story in stages, all relating to not just this moment in their lives, but to Ted and Andromeda's futures. I think it's very realistic that this story considers the future so much, as having a baby really does change anyone's life, especially a teenager's who doesn't necessarily have their parents' support.

Your characterization of both Ted and Andromeda was really good. I liked that Ted let her decide what to do with the pregnancy. And I liked that they both acknowledged that this was a huge change for them. It broke my heart when Andromeda lost the baby. I can't even imagine the pain that people who experience miscarriages feel, both physically and emotionally, and I felt that you were very delicate in dealing with that. (Good job with the added author's note too!)

The ending with Andromeda choosing Ted over her family made me really happy! While it complies with canon, I also like that you made it a significant moment in front of the whole school and all of their society. I like that both on its own and in the context of this story. I think they've earned that moment as a couple, especially after everything they've been through. I'm glad we know they're happy together.

Again, great job on this story! Really well done!

Best,
Emily

Name: potionspartner (Signed) · Date: 20 Jan 2019 02:09 PM · For: Plans

Although the plot, itself, is rather typical, I love the language you all used to describe so much of Andromeda’s life like “She’d known long before now that she was on the road to being burnt off the tapestry” and  “She felt uncomfortably uncontrolled, uncontained. So much of her life relied on her being able to project a very specific outward appearance, and now -- now what?”

“Andromeda did. Nothing good came from being asked to take a seat.” That is so true! It’s almost like foreshadowing of peril.

Ted’s response was so sweet. Between his insistence that the matron go to the Slytherin dorms to his  on hundred percent support of her decisions to his love as she loses the baby, he’s obviously a great guy-even if he is a slob.

 

A very sweet story about a great pair.

Author's Response:

Hey Barbara!

 

You can absolutely thank Emma for some of that beautiful language -- she's GREAT at the prose!! Emma I believe wrote that third quote you mention and when I saw she'd written that I gasped out loud because that was just *such* a perfect line!!! Ted is a Hufflepuff through and through, and he cares very deeply for Andromeda, even if he has to do so secretly and covertly. He was a lot of fun to write, as was Andromeda, as this is was a new era/ship for me, and i was also not super familiar with the Teenage Pregnancy theme either. Emma and I actually had quite a lengthy discussion about whether to/how to write the miscarriage scene, and I'm glad you thought it went over well. 

 

Thanks for the review! :) 

 

~Madi

Name: Crimson Quill (Signed) · Date: 20 Jan 2019 01:39 PM · For: Plans

Hey!

 

I'm here to share some love with some of my favourite claws!

 

So I really love your characterisation of Andromeda in this piece. She seems so thoughtful and careful but at the same time she is such a rebel. I love how caring she is and how much she worries about Ted's reaction. She is a really strong female lead even in her vulnerabilities. 

 

Ted is simply amazing, I love how he considers Andromeda first that he respects and wants her to make her own choices. He'll support her through whatever she decides. I think it was refreshing as he doesn't jump straight into 'omg, i love this baby and you!!' thing straight away even if he feels like it. he is so thoughtful. It was a wonderful scene and it really shows what a beautiful and well balanced couple they are. 

 

I know there was a warning about miscarriage in the notes but I was not ready for it.  It was so heartbreaking for her but I think the subject was handled well.I feel like this story ended on a really hopeful note for them as a couple which made me feel better. I love that she was just reckless and saw that life isn't for wasting. I do leave this piece feeling really positive!

 

Great job!

 

- Abbi xo

 

For: Magical Menagerie/RvG

 

Author's Response:

Hey Abbi!

 

Andromeda just speaks rebel to me, but she has to do it in such a secretive, resourceful way, which points to her being a Slytherin even if she (or her mother) doesn't feel like she truly belongs in that House. I really wanted to make sure she was multidimensional with her love for Ted, her desires to get away from her family, and also to actually do something *good* with her life. Ted is truly the Best Man ever in this iteration of him and I wish men could be like him in real life all the time. :P He knows it's really up to her to make the decision, but he also wants to be as informed as possible so she doesn't feel pressured by what he says, and I'm glad you enjoyed that part and his thoughtfulness! The miscarriage wasn't originally planned, but I am very appreciative that you think I handled the topic well and that it fit the couple and theme of the story well. After writing this I definitely want to try my hand at more Ted/Andromeda fics in the future. 

Thanks for the review! :) 

~Madi

Name: Chemical_Pixie (Signed) · Date: 19 Jan 2019 06:47 PM · For: Plans

Hey Madi and Emma!! Here for Gryffindor's RvG (Team Gold!) and for the Magical Menagerie (and to see how well you've answered the challenge for the Great Collaboration)!

 

I love the Ted/Andromeda ship. They are such a good couple, and I love the social commentary their relationship represents. (Plus, they are the ones who raised Tonks, so they must be awesome). I do wish they would have been able to have more time together in this life in canon, though. But their grim fate is years ahead from this particular moment of their lives in your wonderful fic.

 

I admire how Andromeda has already known that she's destined to break away from the path upon which she was set when she was born. It is a difficult thing to accept and then live through. She does this spectacularly, and having a partner like Ted Tonks makes the process even easier, I am sure.

 

Speaking of Ted, I love how supportive he is of Andromeda. He immediately thinks of her choices and wants her to decide for herself. (And I swooned when I read that he wanted to marry her, I swear, his respect for her and his love for her is amazing.) I thought that they both handled the news of pregnancy in such a mature manner, and that they made their decision and stuck with it. I also appreciate that you bring up the controversial topic of miscarriage. I recently wrote a fic that mentions this topic, and it's good to see another fic on the site that tackles this issue. It's very real, and I thought you handled this theme is a respectful and realistic way. That takes a great deal of skill as writers. Great job!!

Author's Response:

Hey Abby!

 

Emma and I had such a great time writing this fic!! You hit it on the nose with this ship being social commentary because of their blood statuses, and I'm glad that came through naturally. Ted seems like such a sweetheart and a truly good man, which is what Andromeda needs, coming from such a hateful, vengeful family. Yes, Andromeda was in Slytherin, but I think the Slytherin traits she exudes most is her resourcefulness and secretiveness over others, because she was able to keep her relationship with Ted a secret for several years at Hogwarts, and blindsided her entire family at graduation when she up and kissed him! Emma tasked me with writing his little speech thing, IIRC, because fluff and romance were not her area, lol :P Writing the miscarriage almost didn't happen, actually -- it wasn't until we were almost done with the fic that I brought it up to her as an idea because otherwise I felt like I was just writing a pretty similar fic to the Frank/Alice one I had just finished. But yes, miscarriages need to be discussed a lot more both in society and in fiction, and I'm glad you thought we handled it well. 

 

Thank you so much for your review!

 

~Madi