Wednesday, September 29, 2010

When Fiction Comes To Life

Straight Ally

LGBTQA

The first time I’d seen that acronym, it stopped me in my tracks.  I was familiar with LGBT and knew it was also frequently written as GLBT.  I had seen the Q attached, and understood it meant “Questioning” and knew that was important to be included.  But that “A” touched me.  That was me; I was being included.  I am an Ally.

I still feel honored to be included.   Here was a group who has been fighting for centuries for the most basic of human rights and human dignity.  They were fighting for the things that were given me free of charge.  I had not earned any right to be included.  But there they were, open and accepting.
Straight ally is a colloquial term that describes a heterosexual person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, and LGBT social movements.

Recently I participated in a Marriage Equality rally.  I seriously debated what kind of sign I wanted to carry.  Should I carry a common sign and just blend in, or a ‘straight ally’ sign?  I did not want to be seen as ashamed to blend in, because I wasn’t.  But in the end I decided to show that I was proud to be an ally.  Because I want the opposition to know that there really are straight allies.  And our numbers are growing.

Popular Straight Allies include:  Liza Minnelli, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Aniston, Cybil Shepherd, Paul Newman, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Kathy Griffin, Seth MacFarlane, Sarah Silverman, Cyndi Lauper, Barbra Streisand, Dennis Kucinich, and Coretta Scott King.

Taking a stand recently, a straight couple - Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer and Elyse Buxbaum - were married in a civil ceremony in New Haven Connecticut rather than in New York.   The reason – gay marriage is allowed in Connecticut and not in New York.   They made a statement by boycotting discriminatory marriage laws in their own state.

Recently in an article in The Advocate, New Orleans Saints linebacker Scott Fujita voiced his unapologetic support for marriage equality and LGBT rights. When asked if he worries about losing fans over his pro-gay views, Fujita replied:

"I've found that every time I open my mouth about an issue that's unrelated to football, I alienate some people. But that's a risk I'm willing to take. Because for every piece of hate mail I've received for speaking out in support of gay marriage or for wanting to bring the troops home or for discussing the injustices of Japanese internment, there's a dozen people who either appreciate what I'm doing or who think about the issue in a different way... I also recognize that the platform I've been given as a professional athlete will be taken from under me once I leave this game, at which point no one will care to ask my opinion. So in the meantime, why not stand for something?"

How can you be a straight ally?  There are many ways.  


In addition, some ally, and some gay / straight ally, organizations include:





And here is PFLAG’s website for Straight Allies:


Be sure to sign the pledge!!

Fortunately almost all of our favorite slash characters have been surrounded by some very powerful straight allies.  The first one I met was Emmet in  All I Ever Knew by manyafandom
Emmet helped Jasper, accepted him as he was, and was there for him when he came out to friends.  In Equal & Opposite by Oh Jasper My Jasper  Jasper’s mother joined PFLAG.
Rosalie stood firm by Jasper through many trials in At The Deep End by Naelany , and Bella had been there for Edward. Those boys had a strong circle of friends who did not hesitate to stop a group bashing Jasper. In Marked by Whitlock-Masen Mike Newton repeatedly proves to be a very accepting friend. The list could go on and on, but I would rather hear from you.  

Which Fan-fiction allies have impressed you?  

How are you an ally?

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Tuesday's Best 9-28-2010

Good morning, my lovelies! Hope this day finds you well, happy, and healthy. Captain Jezebel and I have found a couple of gems we're just dying to share with you, so grab your towels, fresh panties, and a box of Kleenex (just in case) and let's get to it!

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*big hugs and kisses* Captain Jezebel here with another slasheriffic tale to offer up for your reading pleasure. Luckily for those of us who love fic of the slashy kind, there are many contests geared towards our favorite flavor. Whenever I see a slash contest I check it out immediately because I know I will find some brand new deliciousness. The Slash Backslash 2.0 contest did not disappoint this year bringing us a slew of lovely one shots. In fact I was happy to see some of my favorites place. This is why my next two recs shall be stories that I discovered while reading the many wonderful entries.

If you have been reading How to Turn a Straight Guy Gay, you will know that Lou-La is capable of writing a wonderful slash story. When I saw that she entered the SBS contest I knew Straight Edge would be a must read, it quickly became one of my favorites.

A tattooed, pierced, free spirited Edward Cullen moves to small town Alabama only to have his family become the victims of the small-minded community. The backlash of his outward appearance and care free attitude is so severe that many of the towns people instruct their children not to associate with Edward. His father, a doctor, is constantly asked why he and his wife would let Edward alter the body god gave him at only 16 years of age. Edward’s parent’s are supportive of his need to express himself in the form of body art.

Enter Jasper Whitlock the son of two ‘God-fearing’ parents, as he puts it; especially his mother whom he dubs as one of the most hypocritical in the town. Jasper’s mother has forbidden him to fraternize with the Cullen boy....then why is he so fascinated by him? Jasper often watches from afar, completely enthralled by the boy, taking in his movements, his demeanor, his...body as he swims naked. Edward’s nude body is something that Jasper finds incredibly spellbinding, even more so because of his ink. Why can’t he look away? What about this boy has him so mesmerized?

I'd seen boys naked before in the locker room, but I'd never ever been interested in watching or seeing them nude, but Edward was so different. I couldn't peel my eyes away from the lithe movement of his body—his lank, defined body. I noticed everything, I liked everything; from the way his hair sometimes seemed to have a red tint to it in the sunlight to the way his abs tightened and bunched when he laughed to the way his second toes were longer than his firsts. I especially noticed, and liked, the way he hung heavy and large between his legs, his uncircumcised penis swinging hypnotically as he laughingly waded into the water.

...

I watched as he swam and dove and played. All alone, he entertained himself, seemingly perfectly at ease and happy. He was amazing.

Will Jasper discover what is causing these feelings inside him? Will he have the courage to stand against the bigots within his town and his own family to befriend Edward? Deep down he can see that Edward is a good kid, not unlike himself, so why all the hate?

I have to say this one shot stirred something up in me. It was beautifully written and you can feel the sweetness of first discoveries flying off the screen. Maybe I identify with it, because I have dealt with many bigots, and small-minded people in my life *shrugs* but all I know is that you gotta read it...and I promise you will enjoy it very much. Check it out, and don’t forget to leave Lou-La some kind words if you do ;)


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Good lord, fiberkitty’s done it again! What has she done, you ask? Why, written a fantabulous piece of fic, that’s what! We all know (and really, if you don’t by now, then where the hell have you been hiding?) that she’s awesome with slash, and has a particular knack for all things poly. Perfect Balance is, well, a perfect example of this.

Jake and Bella are married, love each other more than life - and are not monogamous. They’re in Chicago where they were supposed to surprise their boyfriend...only the surprise was on them. Deciding to make the most of things, they enjoyed the time in town. On their last full day in town, something unexpected happens.

Everything seemed to go fast from there. Edward was running late for an appointment, so we all stood up. And, he hugged me. Not some 'just met up with an old friend' type hug. One of those "honest-to-goodness, shoulder to hip, squeezing tight, I never want to let you go" hugs and I was in love. No, not love, as in "I love this man and want to marry him." I was in love with him. Butterflies, pins and needles up and down my arms and legs, and the dire need to somehow see him again. Staring me in the face was the fact that Edward lives in Chicago and we are a day and a half's drive from here in Seattle.

When Edward kissed Jake quickly after a hug similar to the one he had given me, a chaste kiss, but one nonetheless, I was both jealous and turned on. Holy fucking hell was I turned on. I processed the jealousy, tucking it into its place of "I wanted that kiss, dammit" pouting, and set about ignoring it. The arousal had no reset button. Now, I had seen Jake with James, and I'd even seen him kissing Seth, the first guy we had tried sharing, but this, this was just something else. Jake dwarfed Edward's tall but thin frame, and was easily twice his weight, maybe more. Hell, I think I was twice his weight. They were just beautiful together.

The bells above the door tinkled sadly as he departed, and I felt empty with the loss of his presence, and I really wanted to know why he had kissed Jake and not me. "He's gay, Bella." Jake pushed me back into the booth and scooted in next to me. "I've heard James mention the name 'Edward Cullen' before. It had something to do with giving The Nomads a shitty review. I think he had turned down James' advances. Edward is solely interested in men, Sweetie. Sorry crushing on the new guy isn't going to work at distracting you from a broken heart."

Is this it? A quick meeting, and all hope is lost? Or could there possibly be more? I would love to give you more, but then what would there be left for you to read? ;-) Check it out for yourselves, and be sure to leave kitty lots of love. 

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And that's it for this week. Be sure to give these wonderful ladies some well-deserved love, and check back next week to see what Aradi and I have in store for you.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

A TU Birthday

It's our dear Aradi's birthday today. I wrote her a little something for the occasion. Please join me in wishing her the happiest of days!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Tuesday's Best 9-21-2010

Good day, one and all. Hope you're all having a good one. Are you all set for today? Kleenex? Fresh panties? Towels all at the ready? Yes? Good! Then let's see what wonderful fics Aradi and Captain Jezebel have found for you today!

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This week I shall behave and not have another rambling, multi-rec spew.  You’ll appreciate this, I’m sure, because we’re all up to our eyeballs in contest entries to read.  Tasty, tasty O/S as far as the browser can see....

When the Slash Backslash 2.0 winners were announced, I was happy to see many fics that I had loved (some of which I mentioned last week).  When I think back on the contest entries, I remember all these fics fondly, (pervily,) but the first one that always pops into my head wasn’t on that list of winners.

Inside by fngrcufs was the fic that found a home in a tiny, smutty corner of my brain.

Inside is Edward & Garrett (with the inescapable presence of Jasper), and it’s short even for a O/S.  In a nutshell, Jasper has thrown Edward out, and Edward has gone out and found himself a boy.

This is one of those fics that bypasses the superfluous set-up and instead drops you into the middle of the story, then drags you by a limb through the rest of the action.  Edward’s stream-of-consciousness voice is catchy and relatable, and the situation is one most of us have been in, so it takes no effort at all to go tumbling through the action with him.  

The story is so short that half the quotes I considered were either too much or too spoilery, but here’s the first paragraph (and approximately where I got addicted).

The hallway light is dim and tired and Edward leans back, his fingers wrapping around the railing behind him. Maybe if he begs, makes his puppy dog eyes and pretty boy smile, they can fuck right here and never go inside. Inside is personal, inside is home, inside is see my stuff and know my world and please come back. Or maybe inside is just inside. He's so out of practice. He doesn't know how this works anymore.

I got hooked on this fic for the style, I think, then the plot (I won’t spoiler) sealed the deal.  Inside is raw and quirky and brave and deserving of a read or a re-read.
 
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*smiles brightly at the beautiful slashy fiends* Hello my lovelies, Captain Jezebel here again to share a little something I have been reading, and enjoying. To put yourself up for auction has to be one of the most nerve wracking things for an author to do. They have to be nervous to please their purchaser. Yes, I know it is for a good cause, but whether the final price be small or large, you want to please the person that spent good money for you; give them their hard earned dollars’ worth. So that being said when venis-envy threw her name into the game, all for charity, I doubted she knew that two wonderful authors would buy her and ask her to write All My Secrets.

Jasper is far away from home. He seems to be running away from all the sad and unremarkable parts of his past, which brought him to transfer from Amarillo to Seattle in his Sophomore year of college. Jasper meets Edward in his art class, along with Alice and Mike and they become fast friends. In fact he likes the feeling of ease that he fits into this group; it’s nothing like his former life, where he always felt he was pretending to be something he wasn’t to please others.

Jasper and Edward become inseparable and soon enough, Jasper realizes just how important Edward is to him. Edward is a gay man and is flirty by nature, he likes to hit on Jasper, and play around with him, but that doesn’t seem to bother Jasper at all. The problem....Jasper is straight but is conflicted with the feelings he has for Edward. He is getting jealous, possessive, and revels in the attention he gets from Edward, almost like...a boyfriend. *gasp* Could Jasper truly not know himself? Does he need to discover that he does indeed love Edward? Will Alice help him open his eyes to the possibilities?

Alice looked at me with nothing but genuine understanding shining through her dark eyes. "We can't always pick and choose what our hearts desire. Love is a powerful thing, and when it finds you, it isn't easily ignored." Alice took my hand, giving it an affectionate squeeze. "I don't think you're curious, Jasper. I think you know exactly what you want. You're just afraid to reach out and take it."

I felt my shoulders slump and my heart clench. She was right. I was more worried about what other people would think. If I ignored all possibility of condemnation from society and focused on my feelings alone, I knew what she was saying was true. All of it.

Right now the fic is 6 chapters long but the lovely author has it finished and updates pretty frequently. About once every 5 days. Please join me to discover if Jasper ever discovers himself and learns to let go. Who knows?...he may just find true love. Stop by and give it a look, and don’t forget to leave venis-envy some love if you do.
 
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Apropos of nothing, but I was dying to rec All My Secrets as well. Jezzie beat me to it, lucky gal ;-). I hope you enjoy both of today's offerings, however. Be sure to leave the authors some well-deserved love, and check back next week to see what goodies the good Captain and I have in store for you then. 

Have a great week, y'all!


Monday, September 20, 2010

Slash Guest Author Rec - Ealasaid77

Okay, so this makes me more nervous than I ever thought I'd be.  Weird, huh?  No, not really, at least not according to nearly every other person.  I think they were all nervous.  Honestly, I feel like Bella did when she had to tell a little bit about herself in her class.  Yeah, I feel a bit like that right now... all nervous and shit.

Anyway, there are so many great stories I'd love to recommend, but most of them have already appeared on here once before, so narrowing it down has been challenging.  Naelany did tell me that I could rec things that weren't slash, but since I started writing it I honestly have trouble reading anything that isn't anymore. 

The newest story to capture my heart is Touchstone67 story If On A Winter's Night

Jasper and Edward make plans to celebrate their love on New Year's Eve, but that never happens.  Edward is hit head on, in a car crash, in his haste to see Jasper, and that one crash alters his life and that of Jasper's as well. This is only a few chapters in, but the story itself is beautiful and worth reading. 

Hard stone, cracked from attempts to break through their impenetrable protection, surrounded him.  His heart was safely locked behind the fortress, not even a drawbridge allowing visitors across the long dried up moat of emotions.
Only unlike a real fortress, this one hadn't taken years to construct.
It had only taken one night.
One horrific, terrifying night that left his eyes empty of light, hands empty of mine, legs empty of energy and life.
Watching from a distance, I stood quietly by a tree, desperately trying to recognize this new boy behind the walls, wondering if he still had my heart.

The story is heartwrenching, with a few breaks between to see the past relationship between the two so you don't become too overwhelmed.

My next recommendation is actually something written for me for my birthday. OCDJen wrote The Major's Pet for my birthday as a one shot that she's chosen to continue.  This one isn't sweet, sappy, or syrupy.  For Jen, it's one of the darkest things she's ever written and for that alone I love it because it's different. 

Edward becomes Jasper's 'pet' in this fic.  The Major seems to take a lot of enjoyment out of playing with his food.

"When the order is given you will stand and face front.  Your shoulders will be square and you will not attempt any form of contact with anyone else."  The female's voice was fearsome and strong, and demanding that we did as we were told.

The lighting came on, low enough that you could see, but not bright enough for it to hurt your eyes.  Looking around the room, I saw at least fifty men and women stripped down to their underwear, in the room.  I hadn't even realised I was in just my boxer shorts.  Maybe my mind hadn't fully processed all that was happening until the lights came on.

"Stand!"  The demand came from a male's voice.  Whimpers and cries continued to fill the room.  Fully grown men were reduced to tears, crying like babies over their fate.

The four figures slowly came into view.  The first was a woman with long brown, slightly wavy, hair that cascaded over her shoulders and down her back.  Her skin was pure white.  There was not a single blemish or marking.  She began to move first, almost floating down the lines of men and women studying them.  Next to walk down the rows was a man with shortish blond hair.  It came close to the bottom of his ears, falling in curls.  Again His skin, just the same as the woman's, was pure white.  He didn't seem to waste his time moving along the lines of men and women.  His light blue eyes looked at me before making a beeline for me.  I wondered if I had just sealed my fate by making eye contact with him.

"Perfect."  He drawled in my ear.  There was the faintest sound of a southern accent in his voice.  "Don't panic."  Was all I heard before a cloth was placed over my eyes.  Ice cold fingers brushed against my warm skin sending a shiver throughout me.

Fingers gripped my arm loosely, but not that loose that I could escape.  Fear washed over me as I was led away.  I could feel his cool breath on my arm as he led me down winding corridors and narrow paths.  My heart was beating like crazy in my chest, and I could hear its unsteady drum in my ears.

I'm going to die!  I thought as an almost crippling fear crashed through me.

The next story I'd like to offer isn't from a new author, but they are new to slash. Drizl's story When the Night Comes is also a Jasper/Edward fic.  Jasper hasn't been home in five years after Edward leaves him and has been running away from everyone, including his family, the entire time.  Now that Jasper's mother is sick and dying he returns home to be with her in her final days and all his old memories return of a time when he was happy and in love, and not broken.

"Mama, I'm sorry for not keeping in contact."

"You had your reasons and the past is just that...the past.  I can't change it, you can't change it, so let's move on.  I don't have a lot of time to be sorting through things that have already happened.  You're here now and that's what's important,"  she said giving me a small smile.  You don't need to tell me anything specific, Jasper, just talk to me.  I want to know you are going to be okay."

And so I started to talk.  I mustered up the courage and told her where I went after I left Forks, the interesting people I met and some of the jobs I held.  I edited heavily, until she put her hand on my arm.

"Jasper, just stop okay.  Did Rosalie tell you to fill me full of crap?  I'm not stupid.  I know way more than you give me credit for so please give me some truth here,"  she said.

My eyes widened.  "But Rosalie will have my head,"  I said.

"Now you listen to me.  I'm gonna lay it all out because like I said earlier, I don't have a lot of time left and I will not have my son painting a pretty picture because it's for the best.  I remember how broken you were,"  she paused and took a deep breath.  "I know why you left, Jasper."

She couldn't possibly know.  How could she know?  We had never talked about it.  Fuck I was going to have a panic attack in front of my mother and I didn't know how to stop it.  I wasn't ashamed of sleeping with guys, but it's not something I really wanted to talk about with my mother.  I cringed when she lifted my chin so I had to look in her eyes.

"Jasper, never be ashamed of loving anyone,"  she said fiercely.  "I never did go for labels.  Love is love.  Doesn't matter who you love, but that you did love."

"But...but,"  I stammered.  "Mama, I thought you would be angry or worse disgusted with me."

"What why would you think that?  You're my child, I love you.  I don't give a rat's ass who you love, only that they love you back and treat you right, because you my darling, are worth it."

At the moment, I didn't feel like I was worth anything, to anyone.

"Look baby, I knew about you and him.  You would have to blind not to see the love you held for that boy and the look in your eyes when you came home after that graduation party.  It broke my heart.  I don't need the details.  The look on your face haunted me for weeks.  You wear your emotions on your sleeve honey."  She brushed her hand against my cheek and I had to choke back a sob.

"I thought I hid it so well.  He didn't want anyone to know. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid I would lose him if I said anything."

"And yet, you lost him anyway.  Keeping secrets is not a good way to live your life.  They eat at your insides until there's nothing left,"  she said quietly.  "I'm so sorry you had to suffer so, my beautiful golden boy."

All my muscles stiffened when those words came out of her mouth.  "Please don't call me that, Mama.  I will never live up to your expectations of me."

"Jasper, the only thing I expect from you is that you love me and that you try to be happy."

"I do love you Mama, and I would give anything to be happy again."

"Anything?"

"Of course,"  I answered.

"Then you need to talk to Edward."

I flew out of bed.  "I am NOT talking to him...ever,"  I snarled.

Those are my rec's, I hope some of you give them a chance.  Not a single funny, or crack piece in the bunch, unusual for me as I tend to love those.





Wednesday, September 15, 2010

When Fiction Comes To Life

Gay Family Values

I was smiling ear to ear while reading Over the Top by Starfish422  when a little teddy bear appeared that said “I love my Daddies”.   I watched Edward and Jasper battle serious illness and struggle raising one child and adopting a second in Lay Your Hands by OCDjen.    I laughed and it warmed my heart to watch through Cletus’ (the cat’s) POV as Jasper and Edward bring home their daughter in Southern Charm by meikela   I really enjoyed a star gazing camp out with Edward and Emmett and their two children in Shooting Stars by rosmarina. Currently I am reading about Edward and Jasper struggling to raise a new daughter while also battling PTSD not to mention additional strain and potential additional hardships that could be caused by DADT in Everything is Broken by blakeney

The common theme throughout all the above stories is Gay Adoption.  Several of the stories addressed the various options involved, and they addressed the legal implications as well.  As with most things in real gay life, societies tend to make things more complicated than necessary.
The options available for any childless couple are quite varied.   These can involve public agency adoptions, private agency adoptions, international adoptions, open adoptions, and surrogacy.
And…. If it weren’t already complicated enough, same sex adoption laws vary widely in every country, and many times vary widely in every state/province/territory/etc within a country.   For more information:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_adoption

It seems ironic that any opposite sex couple, no matter how poorly qualified, can produce a child, while loving same sex couples can face many hurdles.  

What a sad statement about a society that automatically assumed that children would somehow be worse off if both parents were of the same sex?  I fail to see that logic when there are healthy single parent families, and when an opposite sex family does not always guarantee a healthy outcome? 

Shouldn’t every situation be regarded individually rather than making assumptions based on gender?

Fortunately studies have been conducted, such as the following that discovered that there is no difference in children raised by gay parents:

and this study that determined that children raised in a gay family did well in school:     http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/august/gay-study-083010.html   

and this one actually shows that children raised in a lesbian household actually fare better than their peers:

Gay families can be so loving; they often adopt children no one else will.  In fact, it has been found that children are actually suffering because of unfair adoption laws.  


I stumbled upon a very brave YouTube family that is telling their story in the hope that they can help change the perception of gay families.   They are an amazing couple, just every day guys, doing their part to make the world a better place.  Bryan, Jay, Daniel, Selena:  

I highly recommend you subscribe to their channel - depfox.

I wasn’t the only one that stumbled upon them.  Documentary producers found them, and are turning their story into a documentary called “The Right to Love – An American Family” (grab the tissues):   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYC-2djhzv8  

You can bet I will be first in line when it comes out early next year.

The couple has also produced several YouTube videos detailing their journey to become a family: Our Adoption Story   They provided valuable stories and resources that are very helpful to other gay couples.  

One uneducated myth is that children raised by gay families will be turned gay (just like all children raised by heterosexual couples are turned straight??)  Dan Savage, journalist and internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice columnist tackles that myth in wonderful Dan Savage style by telling his story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GPkWORrBcs

Domestic Daddy blogger Christopher Nordquist attempts to shed light on the varying reactions he sees as a gay dad in his revealing and informative article:  Where Did You Get That Baby?

On the positive side, I do believe things are changing for the better.  Do you remember the old riddle about a father and son car crash where the father dies and the son is rushed to the hospital?   The head surgeon says “I cannot operate; he is my son”.  The riddle baffled almost everyone and was intended to show gender prejudices since very few people guessed the surgeon was the boy’s mother.   

This riddle was recently revisited and school children were asked the question.  None of the children were baffled at all!!  Most quickly answered “it was his mother”, and some even said “the boy had two dads”.   When I hear from the children, I have hope for the future.

And finally, guess who are expecting twins?!?!

Slash authors are bringing great awareness to their readers when they include the children.  Who are your favorite FanFiction gay families?   


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A little addition from naelany:
Towleroad happened to have an article on What's A Parent? today, that I thought was appropriate. It gives some insight into what gay parents have to go through in order to become just that: parents. In the eyes of the law, that is. 

Thank you, lovelypenguin, for another awesome article.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Tuesday's Best - 9-14-2010

Good morning, my lovelies! Hope you're all doing well, and are ready to face your day. Aradi and I have returned with some goodies to share - and there's a few this time, as Aradi generously went for a three-for-one rec today. Let's see what she found, shall we?

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The fandom needs more AU-vamp.

There, I said it.

I want vampires!  Is that too much to ask?  Vegetarian would do... I suppose... in a pinch... but vamps with red eyes are hot, and we all know it.  For the love of Edward (or of Jasper, or of Edward/Jasper)... BITE SOMEONE ALREADY.

When I look at the fics I’ve recced here so far, only two of the seven have had vamps (Said and Done and Tracking Redemption).  That percentage is probably higher than it would be across all the Slash fics (and across the fandom in general), because I naturally gravitate to those fics.  Of the fifteen winners in Slash/Backslash 2.0, I think only two had vamps (The Ungraceful Art of Falling and Tears in the Snow).  Both were excellent, and both were of the veggie-Cullen variety.

There’s nothing wrong with AH.  There’s just so much of it.  Nothing is sadder than blurring together your fics because you have a hundred “college AH Jasper/Edward” fics on your favorites list (alongside a hundred more “high school AH Jasper/Edward”).  Great writing is great writing, regardless of the topic, but as a reader I just tend to set the bar so much higher for a fic that has too much in common with too many other fics, if that makes sense.

Plus I just want someone to BITE SOMEONE ALREADY.

The plotbunnies are rampant in a world with vampires, so I don’t know why more authors don’t choose to write one.  There’s infinite opportunity for angst, odd couples, odd-couples-with-angst, darkness, and gore.  And BITING.

With that impromptu tantrum in mind, today I have a few O/S recs, if you want (some of) your boys vampy.  (Hopefully my fellow reviewers wont stake me for being greedy.  O/S are like potato chips...)

First, go read The Ungraceful Art of Falling if you somehow magically haven’t already.  (You have no excuse for this, as you should have read all the Slash/Backslash 2.0 entries, or at the very least the winners.)  Sareisle won First in the Judges’ scoring with this story.  It is near-canon and tragic and angsty and I nearly cried.  It’s a Seth (xEdward, almost) story, and it is wonderful.

Love fucking sucks. It sucks because it creeps up on you, and suddenly you're feeling all these things and your brain is going absolutely crazy trying to work out what it all means and then all of a sudden it hits you. Love.

And the first thing you think is fuck. I'm screwed. Because that thing you had going was a great friendship. Because those touches that were lurking in your subconscious, that kept you hard and aching all night were nothing more than a fleeting brush. Because he was wrong. Because he was a he. Because he was a vampire. Because he was in love with someone else.

Then, if you like blood-drinking vamps, try the angsty Jasper/Edward fic To Taste Your Bloody Kiss by Darkira.  This was also a Slash/Backslash 2.0 entrant, and has a vampire world that is far more True Blood than Twilight.  These vamps are about as “civilized” as they can be without being veggie, so there is BITING OF PEOPLE.  There are also light dom/sub overtones to this story, as part of the hierarchy of this world’s vampire culture, not as blantantly BDSM.  Consider it a bonus if you swing that way, and something that shouldn’t get in the way of enjoying the story if you don’t.

The bond between me and Edward was a combination of all three. At first he had been my pet, sort of. Not in the usual way, but I had seen him and I had wanted him, so when he first got sick I gave him my blood without him knowing it, while he was sleeping, to keep him safe from other vampires.

The second part was me turning him when he got so sick he would have died otherwise. That bond was the strongest one.

The third bond... We shared blood. Quite a lot. At first it wasn't consensual, but neither was anything else I had done to him at first when I had to control him somehow and it...it aroused me, and him. He had forgiven me most of that first year together about ninety years ago. After all eternity is a long time to hold a grudge against your maker.

At the extreme end of the vamp spectrum are stories like Backseat Bloodshed by Lifelesslyndsey.  This one is Jasper/Peter, and I’d call it a dark (grisly) (slashy) comedy.  If you can appreciate not just the vampy biting of people, but actual BITING of people, this fic will brighten your day in glorious shades of red.  If you can’t handle arterial spray with your boy/boy love, don’t click that link.  Seriously.

And it all came flooding back, the blood, the bodies, the tearing teeth biting along my jaw. Some of those scars had nothing to do with newborns, some of those scars belonged to Jasper. I felt myself groan low and dirty, as he sank his teeth into the mark, his Mark, the one that left me dead but undying.

And oh fuck, I felt like I was dying all over again as he bit into my lip this time, not enough to tear, but enough to hurt. He nipped, forcing my mouth open, invading me, drowning me, and what the fuck had we been doing all these years without each other? We were fools.

So there you have it - a trio of slash fics containing vampires.  May they go forth and inspire someone to write more (at a gore level of their own choosing).

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As some of you may remember, the Plot Bunny Contest happened a little while ago. I had the pleasure of being one of the judges there. Not only that, but I submitted several prompts. One of which - well, a few of them, actually, but never mind that - was written. And written beautifully.

Heart’s Desire, by mrsyt31, is the story of Riley. He’s had a crush on Edward ever since he stepped in and saved him from a group of bullies, not long after Riley started at Forks High. He never in his wildest dreams thought they’d be so much as friends, let alone that Edward might harbor feelings similar to his own, so when Edward takes him under his wing, Riley counts himself very lucky.

Watching Edward though, is harder than he believed possible, especially when Riley overhears something that makes his heart plummet into his stomach - Edward’s going out to the school dance with Bella.


Is everything as it seems though? That, you’ll need to go read. Here’s just a little taste for you:

 I suppose it doesn't even really matter, because I would not trade this last month for anything. And even though I know that Edward will be dancing with his arms around Bella tonight, I can't help but wish that it were me there with him instead.

As I leave school after my last class of the day, I see Edward waiting for me at his car. This has become our routine. But as much as I love spending the time with him, it tortures me. It eats at me to be so close and not be able to reach out and touch him the way I want, and I end up overwhelmed with emotions whenever we are together.

"Please say you'll change your mind about tonight," he pleads. "It won't be the same without you and I can't stand the thought of you at home by yourself while I'm at the dance with everyone else."

Does Riley end up going? Check it out for yourselves. I hope you’ll enjoy these two as much as I did - and I for one hope that we get to see a little more of them. What do you say, mrsyt31?

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And there you have it. Be sure to leave all these fabulous authors some love after you've read their stories. Check back next week for more stories to err, warm up your days with ;-)

Oh, and before I forget, I just wanted to remind y'all about the cool site that LaBellaLeigh is putting together to make finding your favorite fics and authors (or pairings) just that much easier. I posted an announcement for it last week, but here's a link to Twifictionary.