Tuesday's Best 11-2-2010

Good morning, everyone! How are y'all enjoying the Fall weather? Got your warm blankets out? Cozied up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa or spiced apple cider? Let's see if we can make things a little cozier still, and perhaps heat things up a bit in the process. ;-) Aradi and Captain Jezebel have found some good stuff today, so let's get on with it.

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Love is love, right?

That’s a recurring theme in slash.  There are the “coming out” stories where the hero(ine) learns to love who they love, instead of who they think they are supposed to love.  There are the “reformed hetero” stories, where the hero(ine) discovers that loving the home team can be much more appealing than what they knew before.

Love is love!

What Matters by Strae takes a new spin on this.  What if Hetward thinks he’s falling in... something... with someone he thinks is a woman?  (Thank you, interwebs, for your anonymity and ease of subterfuge.)  What happens when he eventually finds out his internet dream girl, that he’s even wanked for via webcam, is actually a guy?

Honestly, I expected the trite freak-out, the homophobic rant, or the reflexive binge on beer and tits to prove hetero manhood.  What the story delivers is different, and so good.

Every beautiful physical attribute I'd see in my online friend is echoed in this man's face. Their features are exactly the same—eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, jaw, hair, everything. The only difference is that this is not my friend; this is not the girl I'd bonded with over the months. This is not the girl for whom I'd exposed my body, my secrets, my heart. This is not my Jazz.

This Jazz is... a man.

Jasper.

I can't feel the tightness of my throat or the nervous sweat on my palms anymore. My heart clenches and twists painfully inside my chest, already feeling the dreadful ache of loss like I'd felt with Bella.

Edward’s crushed, because he’s already in... something... with “Jazz,” only Jazz isn’t a girl.  Jasper, who is out and happy, pretended to be a girl just so Edward would keep talking to him.  (Yeah, it was wrong, but you’d probably lie your ass off for a naked Chatward.  Admit.)

 

Edward is also a truly nice, if slightly confused, guy.  He quickly realizes he doesn’t want to lose the bond they’d formed, even though a romance is now completely and totally out of the question.  Definitely not happening.  Since Edward is absolutely not gay.

 

Not at all.

 

(*cue exasperated eye-rolling*)

 

Anyway, this is the sweetness of this story.  Edward, despite his confusion (or perhaps shocking cluelessness) about his sexual orientation, is remarkably enlightened and accepting.  We already know he’s nice, but he always seems to look for the good in people and in situations.  Given the horrific tales in the news lately, and the inexcusable language and hate some people spew, it is lovely to read some of the boys’ thoughts in this fic.

Jazz's gender had little to do with our previous friendship, I've realized by now. The long conversations we'd had were not always sexual, but intellectual. The Jazz I spoke to was both smart and comedic, and to be truthful, it wasn't her appearance that attracted me to her at all.

 

Knowing that this story is clearly labeled as slash, the tentative friendship between Edward and Jasper is bound to morph into something more.  (Since they started out in an X-rated chatroom, I’m expecting much more and soon.)  It’s a slippery slope from friendship to watching that friend jerk off.  I’m just sayin....

 

Another strength of What Matters is the humor that mostly comes from the supporting characters.  Alice, as Jasper’s pal, is entertaining (and probably prescient).  Edward’s parents are hysterical.  

 

I’m trying to be better about leaving reviews, so now I don’t feel too guilty about telling you to leave Strae some review love if you enjoy this story like I do.  She also invites us to pester for updates via The Twitters (KStrae), an idea I wholly support.

 

Don’t forget.  Love is... what matters.

 

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*hugs to my slash lovers* Why does it feel like it’s been forever? Is it just me? Oh well ...Captain Jezebel with a new morsel for my lovelies. Ok this one is a little outside my comfort zone but I braved it for you guys. Otherwise I may just be bringing you what I liked...and that is completely unfair. So for this particular rec I went for a story of finding the one, after you thought you already found the one. Confused?...let’s clear it up, shall we?

Just Us by multicolouredeyes is a vampfic , almost as close to canon as an E/J slashfic can come. Which is where my discomfort comes in. Edward has met his Bella, he married his Bella, created Nessie with his Bella, he turned his Bella; and that is where the problem begins. It was always bloodlust, he confused the intoxicating scent for love. When the life he built for himself shatters around him at hurting her he receives comfort, understanding and love from someone he never expected...Jasper.

Jasper is his usual self, quiet, reserved, an empath, and with Alice for many years (also part of my discomfort). When Edward’s life is destroyed, why is he so drawn to him? Why does he feel the need to hold him, console  him? Is it his power making him feel Edward’s pain, or is it more?

I'd stopped bothering to read the thoughts of those around me, had completely shut myself off from everything and everyone around me...apart from Jasper. Somehow he managed to reach me when no-one else could and more often than not I found myself wrapped up in his strong arms desperately wishing I could cry and cursing my Vampirism once more.

For some reason I felt safe in his arms as we sat there for hours on end. Sometimes he would read to me, or hum some of my favourite pieces of music. I knew for certain that it wasn't his gift having this affect on me because Jasper would have employed it to help with my misery before anything else, but had opted against any involvement at all because I had to get through it on my own, and for that I thanked him.

Now I usually never read any E/J if I know for a fact that Bella and Alice are going to be hurt in the process, no matter how much I love these boys together. However when reading this, I just felt the author’s need to show us, that regardless of what or who happened in their past, they were meant to be together. Give it a shot, I don’t want to give too much away, but if I could live with it and enjoy it...so can you.

 

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There you have it, folks. Two awesome stories to devour. I have one confession to make. Aradi totally beat me to  What Matters, so I'll simply add my voice here. I love it. There's so much truth in how relationships are built (yes, I speak from experience) over the internet like that. Gender issues aside, I've been in Edward's shoes, so I can relate very well with him on a lot of things - and Jasper, too. 

Anyway, all that to say, I thoroughly enjoy What Matters, and I hope you will, too. 

 

Be sure you leave some love to these wonderful authors, and come back next week to see what we have in store for you then.