No Bright Line

by lady_grey

In which Sirius is a famous actor who has stopped believing in authenticity, Remus is a historian with a complex relationship to memory, and Lily is the brilliant filmmaker who brings them together. James and Harry are there too, although they mostly just want to enjoy the beach.
On Archive of Our Own.

Genres: Fan Fiction

424 pages, ebook

First published May 17, 2020

Reviews

[Linsey Golding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Immaculate. Invigorating. Every “I” adjective possible. I loved the change in POVs between Remus, Sirius, and Lily. And I especially loved the large role that Lily played (most fics have James in a larger role. Plus James as a stay at home dad is so great!) Highly highly recommend. Happy ending with realistic discussions of internalized homophobia and PTSD.

[moonydew · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars…
Really enjoyable. This was about Sirius being an actor in a Song of Achilles remake and Remus being a historian on set. Sirius isn’t out but wants Remus and Remus has a rough past with scars and anxiety and is trying to find his footing as his celebrity crush falls for him.

[arjin (regulus’ version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I was realising that, these days, I feel twice the number of things that I used to. It’s like I feel everything that happens to me, and then I also feel everything that happens to you […]”


Okay, so I finally got back into writing reviews again 😭 I picked up this fanfic to cure me from my tcoptp slump, and honestly I already knew from the start it was going to be an unfair request for any fic to live up to that.

First of all I think the portrayal of Achilles and Patroclus was wonderful. I’m no expert, I’ve only read The Song of Achilles, and I honestly hadn’t realized how deep their relationship could be until this story reminded me. It was woven in really seamlessly and felt very natural.

Now, onto baby Harry, oh my god. The scenes with him and James were so cute, I melted. 🥹 That part was definitely a highlight. I also appreciated the exploration of Lily’s character and her messiness, it gave her some depth that I liked.

Regulus, though… yeah, no. His characterization made me shake my head a bit. I’m all for unique interpretations, but there is just no universe where Regulus is out here saying stuff like “hey man.” My Regulus is not talking like a frat boy 😭😭😭

As with most short fics I don’t think the Black brothers’ angst really got the justice it deserved. I get that the length makes it hard to dive deep, but in that case I’d rather it was left out than squeezed into one shallow chapter. It just didn’t feel heartfelt to me.

Also, I didn’t really giggle or feel much tension between Sirius and Remus. There were some lines I really liked, and of course reading about my faves is always comforting, especially when school starts messing up life again, but overall I wouldn’t say this is one I’d recommend.




quotes:

That in all her insistence on growth and independence and not caring what anyone else thought of her, she had forgotten how to admit weakness. 

“You can be sorry, and you can be ready to change, but you can’t make it all about how you’ve failed, because you haven’t, and […], doing that is a bit selfish in and of itself.“

He had no power, because his power lay in the perceptions of others. When perception changed, so did Achilles' worth. That is no power. That is phantom. 

“[…] Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.”

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have things to say.
Firstly, this fic is absolutely a new favorite. I started reading it as the premise interested me, especially as a song of Achilles lover, & i ended up absolutely loving the atmosphere of these characters being on a movie set.
There's something about wolfstar being a slow burn love that just makes sense in my mind. But typically compared to other tropes slow burns tend to not be my favorite, however i think in this case because the other elements of the story I was equally invested in, i didn't mind the slow burn, I think it actually make complete sense in this scenario.
The characterization of Lily!!! I've never had strong opinion of Lily, always just been indifferent. But she was kind of messy in this story, & i LOVED that. I loved the in-depth exploration of her relationship with Snape, & that she's not completely blameless, she can admit & see where she's been wrong. & that was just so human & understandable, wanting to hold into the idea of who someone used to be.
Remus being a historian!!! Specializing in queer history!!!
I also liked the narrative of the realization & coming out process later on in life, & not having it all figured out in your teens. Maybe that's just me, but the media loves a teen love story- so do I. But, being queer makes falling in love so much scarier, & it was a nice reminder that dealing with that in your teens is brutal, & you don't need it all figured out then, you can still figure it out throughout your life.
Achilles & Patroclus being a huge metaphor for Sirius & Remus >
Ugh i could gush forever. If you read this, you will love it, I promise <3

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved the buildup so much and it was just so sweet.
it contained my two favorite things: wolfstar and the song of achilles, so that made it even better

[Cissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Fercha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ya me tocaba leer un libro tranquilo y sin drama

[Harriet Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are so silly I love them

[giulles · Rating 4 out of 5]

gracias por ayudar con el bloqueo lector 🙏🏼

[Ashley ✨]

Really enjoyed this one — Song of Achilles as a movie directed by Lily Evans and starring Sirius Black as Achilles? I mean, how could I not?? I really loved the character explorations, especially in how their roles in the movie mirrored their emotions and growth throughout the story. All of the characters were so interesting and well-developed, and I liked how they were flawed yet able to work through their issues and misunderstandings in realistic ways. Lovely story!