Slash Guest Author Rec - Sweetp1

Hey there everyone! I'm so excited to be writing a guest rec for Twislash Unveiled - I've been reading the site for a long time and it's both nerve-wracking and awesome to be writing the recs rather than reading them this time.
 

So, the stories I'm reccing today all have one thing in common - they're wolf/vamp. Like Aradi said a few weeks ago, the fandom needs more AU slash. While she wants the "real" vampire kind with BITING, I want more wolf/vamp slash.
 

The slashy corner of the Twi-fandom seems to be dominated (no pun intended) by AH stories, but it's the pairing of a wolf and a vamp that will immediately get my attention. I will admit to being something of an angst-h00r so the "forbidden" interspecies pairing of mortal enemies that is wolf/vamp slash is like an angsty (...imprinting angst, I-really- shouldn't-be-doing-this angst, but-I-hate-you! angst...) dream come true!
 

First up is Famous Last Words by Miz Turwaitheil.

"She's been on a killing spree in Portland," Alice said.

From the very first line of this fic, I was captivated.

Bella, unstable and mentally unhinged after her transformation, is on the loose. Edward, guilt-ridden and heartbroken, decides to go after her. Jacob insists that he is going along as well. Together, they travel across the country to hunt down the girl they once both loved.

While the plot itself is dark, and certainly earns it's angst label, it's the imagery and vivid descriptions that make this story a stand out for me.

The pavement of the alley is cracked and host to numerous black puddles. The few working streetlights cast a sinister orange glow over the brick walls and junk cars, the ragged people and skitter-eyed drug addicts across the street steadfastly looking the other way.

Bella's eyes are red.

Edward can smell blood, distant and nagging in the back of his head, and he can hear the girl who Bella had attacked whimpering into the cement—oh my god I'm going to die I'm going to die shit I never said I loved her I'mgoingtodie—but all he can see is Bella's red, red eyes.

"Edward," she says softly. "You came."

"Bella," he whispers. His voice breaks on her name.

"You came," she says again, mouth curving up into a perfect (unnatural) smile, gruesomely red in her white face. She takes a step forward.

The tone of this story is dark and haunting. The wretchedness and despair as Edward and Jacob go about their horrifying quest is so palpable, you can't help but feel heart-clenchy alongside them. Even as the Miz Turwaitheil paints this bleak and desperate picture, she somehow manages to weave together a subtle, yet touching, bond between Edward and Jacob. What starts out as open hostility, softly turns into something more, something so fatalistic that the reader is left with an overwhelming sense that there isn't any other path for these two.

...Jacob is not asleep. He's pretending to be, but Edward knows the difference in his breathing from too many hours spent awake and listening to his quiet workings of his lungs. Edward doesn't try to read Jacob's mind, but it nags at him, how Jacob is still thinking about something in the early, early hours of the morning.

The clock doesn't change. Edward waits.

"You're awake, aren't you," he says finally.

He can feel Jacob tense beside him.

"I know that you're not sleeping. What's wrong?"

After a moment, Jacob rolls over, propping his head up on one hand and studying Edward with opaque eyes. "Can't you see inside my head?" he replies.

It should sound more scathing than it is, but once again, the darkness and the quiet are working against him, leeching out the bite in the words and leaving behind only resignation.

Edward lets his eyelids flutter close, and reaches out to Jacob's mind. Tonight, the usual barriers aren't up, and tendrils of their thoughts connect.

So fucking sad. I miss Bella, miss the old times. I can see right through you, you know, I know who you are. I want the truth. I want a new life. I want you.

Famous Last Words is an older story, published in 2008 and is probably a fic that is under the radar to some extent, but is one that is well worth checking out. Seven succinct and stunning chapters that left a lasting impression on me - it's the first fic I give if anyone asks me for a Jakeward rec. It's also what I would term "slash-lite" (as in no graphic lemons) so perfect for any slash newbies or for anyone still hesitant about a Jacob/Edward pairing.


Howl by Dahlia J Black is a one-shot that I recently stumbled upon by (very happy) accident. I saw it was Seth and of course I clicked through straight away.
 
Set post-BD the story starts out with Seth trying to control his thoughts in relation to his infatuation with Edward Cullen. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that at this point I was rubbing my hands together in glee! I settled myself down for a slashy little dose of my two favourite boys, only to discover in my slash-haste I'd neglected to read the story pairing correctly.

Seth breaks through some brush and finds Jasper leaning against a tree a few feet away. He seems to be waiting for something and Seth slows down, coming to a halt beside the tall, lean vampire. He doesn't know whether to un-phase or not, so he just shifts awkwardly from paw to paw, waiting for Jasper to say something.

"Change forms, please. We need to talk." Jasper's voice is curt and he is looking at Seth in the most peculiar way, making him feel exceedingly uncomfortable.

Seth reluctantly shifts back to his human form, and stands before Jasper, naked and towering above him by a good few inches. Despite his superior stature, Seth feels like he's at a disadvantage.

Seth doesn't have a chance to open his mouth to ask a question before Jasper is lunging forward, pressing Seth roughly against the tree behind them. Seth lets out a low, startled growl, not knowing what to make of the situation.

"Seth." Jasper's voice is a husky whisper as he presses a cool palm to Seth's cheek.

"You wanted to talk?" Seth squeaks uncertainly.

"Yes," Jasper responds but stays silent for a long moment afterward. When he finally speaks again, his ochre eyes are black and startling. "I don't want you to visit the house anymore."

I don't want to give away all of DahliaJBlack's secrets but I will say that this story is full of surprises. Awesome slashy surprises. This is quite a short piece (hence my vagueness) but in 3k the author manages to convey so much. The writing is all at once raw, and yet restrained, and she captures both the vampire and the wolf characteristics so well. This is a story that stayed with me for a long time, and is an excellent little one-shot if you don't mind something a little bit different.

Lately, I have found myself moving away from the big "saga" type fics, and seeking out short completed fics. There's something quite satisfying about reading a 20-30k'er in one sitting (and not having to wait for updates). Always one foot on the ground by lts29 is just 4 chapters, and is wolf/vamp...but it isn't slash. It's Edward and Leah.
 
I'll admit to being hesitant at first, but soon found myself lost in this intriguing AU story.
 
One of the things I enjoyed most about this story was the characterizations. Leah is one of the more fascinating female characters in the series for me and in this story we get to see her both feisty and vulnerable. In a universe where Bella doesn't even exist, lts29 creates a believable and plausible story where an inexperienced (but not stubbornly chaste) Edward finds himself captivated by a heartbroken and angry Leah.

 

His hand went automatically to the fly of his jeans and he pressed the heel of his hand into his erection, closing his eyes when he felt the pleasure shoot through him. He hadn't masturbated in quite some time, a sibling or parent always catching him as he was leaving to go hunt alone, so he was going to relish this opportunity.

Rubbing rhythmically now, he flipped through some of his favorite mental images that he had collected over the years. The flapper girl didn't really work for him and neither did the Vargas girl. He was looking for something a bit more modern. He wasn't sure who he was kidding, really, going through these motions. He knew who he would be thinking about. It was the same person he had been thinking about for months. Leah Clearwater, but not the one in Sam and Jacob's minds, but the one from the parking lot. Young and happy, full of life and sexual vigor. The image of long legs wrapped around him and a strong hand in his hair had haunted him for months and he was looking forward to indulging himself to vivid images of Leah's black eyes looking at him with the same look of adoration and love that she had given to Sam shining in them and the imagined feel of her breasts pressed against his chest.

His mind was too far gone to stop and think about why Leah had occupied so much of his mind lately. His hand moved to the button of his jeans and he was eager to get this show on the road. His action was stopped by the sound of brush and tree limbs crashing behind him and the choppy, swirling thoughts of an incredibly angry person. He darted to the left, out of its way, immediately realizing that the person's thoughts were moving much too fast for a human. A distinctive smell was in the air, but it was one that Edward had never smelled before and couldn't recognize.

You'll have to read for yourself to find out what happens next but I will say this story has everything - a little bit of angst, a little bit of smut, a little bit of omg-HOW-is-this-going-to-end? Speaking of the end, one more thing I absolutely adored about this fic was the ending. It was so satisfyingly right, in a way that a sudden imprint, or finding your vampire-mate could never be. lts29 does say this is part 1 of a longer story (and I for one am anxiously awaiting to hear more from these two) but at the same time the story is complete in itself. If you enjoy reading clever AU stories that leave you thinking about canon in a whole new way, Always one foot on the ground will not disappoint.

 

And that's it from me and my wolf/vampy recs. Thanks to Nae for asking me to contribute to the blog and I hope you'll check out the stories. If you do, please leave the authors some love!