Tuesday's Best 6-28-2011

Good morning, my lovelies! Y'all ready for summer to really kick into gear? Maybe we can help you ease into some of the heat, so to speak. Let's see what Conversed and I managed to find for you this week, shall we?

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If you haven’t signed up to get alerts from ArcadianMaggie's  Non Edward/Jasper Slash C2 over on FanFiction, you might miss out on gems like my rec today.

I always take a peek when I get an email alert for a new story. I can get behind lots of different pairings: I try not to judge a book by its cover IYKWIM. But when I saw that Homophobe by YouarenotMe was listed as a Mike/Edward story, I nearly didn’t bother to read.

That would have been a terrible mistake.

I read the prologue, which was short and to the point, and thought yeah, not for me.

I nearly didn’t click ‘next.’

That would have been an even bigger mistake.

This story, which is 9 chapters in at the moment and updates quickly, is without doubt the best new multi-chapter story I’ve read this year. In terms of thoughtful characterisation, IMO it’s on a par with the other story recd today, and that’s saying something.

In Homophobe, Mike is terribly pressured by his family. He lives in denial and we get front row seats as YouarenotMe paints a vivid, painful picture of what it is to be him: Star athlete, grade A student, perfect son.

His internal monologue will make you ache.

“I like him.

I wasn't a homosexual.

Every now and then my thoughts would turn to Jasper or Edward and during the course of the day, I'd had at least one fantasy of grinding my dick into them instead of Eric.

It was fucked and what was worse, is that I saw Edward fucking Cullen looking at me, right after I'd had one about him.

My life was so fucked.”

This story isn’t just about sex, although it does detail plenty of it in ways that are hot, heartfelt and heartfaily in equal measure. It’s about so much more. So you get the hot stuff like this:

“He really started going at it then. He was stroking himself and slamming down on me. My hands moved, fingers curling into the bed sheets. I could barely breathe.

I wanted to come. I wanted to come. I wanted to come.”

All mixed up with the heartfaily stuff like this:

“I sat back on my heels, unable to look at him.

I don't know how long we sat there like that, but finally, I just sort of leaned forward and put my forehead on his knee and he brought his hand up, resting it on my head.

It was an absolution.”

The characterisation is so neat throughout this story that I want to spit with jealously.

The pacing made me click next, next, next.

Add in hot as fuck Jasper and Edward, who complement rather than overtake the main character? Yeah, it’s almost too good for a first story and it deals with uncomfortable, mature themes in a realistic way.

Go and read Homophobe by YouarenotMe. It’s gritty, painful but kind of beautiful too.

You can thank me later.

Conversed.

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I’m sure by now, most of you are familiar with Pastiche Pen. She’s an author whose talents run the gamut of Twilight fanfiction: Edward/Bella, Alice/Jasper, Edward/Jasper are but a few of her pairings. Gotta respect an author who puts her own spin on things, and she does this no less so than with her Carlward entry, Red Geraniums.

Poor Carlisle finds himself in a bit of a bind. Hung over. Sore in all the wrong places. And with a man asleep in his bed. It takes him a while to begrudgingly connect the dots, and when he finally does, he is certain he’s been taken advantage of. He fully intends to kick the vile transgressor out of his bed, and his house. Only to find that the man is possibly just a boy, bringing with it a whole new range of fears for him.

Ten minutes later, he's clean. He's clean and resolved. He's going to tell this jerk off. There's no other explanation. He was taken advantage of. There may have been roofies involved. What right does this jerk think he has, taking advantage of a perfectly straight man?

Carlisle marches into his bedroom, ready to face his assailant. The man's back is to the door and he's curled up, tight into the pillow. Carlisle has to walk around to the other side of the bed to see him face-to-face.

He sees him. Gasps.

He's... youngish. College-age... or maybe high school. Jail bait. Carlisle sways back and forth on his feet, arms held out to the sides to manage some balance.

Please be over eighteen. Please be over eighteen.

That's how he's standing with his mouth hanging open when the man-boy-guy (yes, he's a guy,Carlisle decides) stirs. He opens his eyes and blinks at Carlisle, a smile easy on his face. He's still smiling when he pushes up on his elbow, and says, "Good morning."

He's... really good-looking. Carlisle's not the type to notice this sort of thing, not about men, but this guy is...

That's when Carlisle realizes he's possibly ogling a seventeen year-old, and sputters, "Coffee?"

"I take two sugars," the guy agrees.

Not quite what he had in mind, is it? After a rather... interesting... parting of ways, Carlisle is determined to forget about the entire thing and never to see Edward again. After all, he has no reason to want to be anywhere near him again, seeing as he’s straight and all. But, as we all know, life has a way of throwing a wrench in the best laid plans, and of course it does so for our dear Carlisle, too.

"Alice," he says, and Carlisle grips her hand, because he needs her to look at him. "I am never going to lie to you. My job is to give you the truth, and whether it's good or bad, help you plan for it. Right now, you feel awful because your body's reacting to the treatment, but once you get through the chemo, you're on track to take your regular doses of Gleevac, and then we'll get you prepped for the bone marrow transplant. You're young, and you've got great parents to take care of you, and your own iron will. That doesn't mean any of this is full-proof, and it doesn't mean your leukemia isn't deadly serious, but it does mean that you're doing a great job fighting this."

"You gave me the same speech last time," she says, and her voice is watery, but she's nodding along with him.

"And I'll keep giving it to you."

"You're my favorite doctor, and not just because your super handsome," she says with a bat of her lashes.

Carlisle smiles, but before he can say anything, Alice's whole face lights up, as her eyes look over Carlisle's shoulder. "Edward!" she exclaims, and she's leaning forward again.

Carlisle freezes, because somehow he just knows who he'll see.

Ah, yes. We do, too. However, if you want to see how everything works out for these two, you’ll have to read for yourself. There are numerous other factors that play into the troubles that plague our Carlisle. Go see if he figures it all out. 

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There you have it, folks. Another couple of great stories to sink your teeth into. Be sure to leave these wonderful authors some love, and come back next week to see what Aradi and Conversed have in store for you.

In the mean time, hop on over to the Twilight No Stress Love Fest, there are still two days left to enter with a story or banner/artwork.