Tuesday's Best 6-7-2011

Good morning, y'all. Hope you're enjoying the weather. Spring seems to have finally sprung where I'm at (for the moment, anyway). It's nice to see the sun a little more often, anyway. Still, we're not here to talk about the weather, we're here to talk about other hot things. So why don't we get right to it, shall we, and see what Conversed and I have found for you.

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 I started reading Best Part of Me Was Always You by kgq and had an out of body experience.

#trufax

There I was, sprawled across the couch in my sunroom, having myself a good, long laze, when I almost fell head-first into a fic.

Swear to God it’s never happened before.

I felt a little dizzy, then I felt confused because what I was reading was so evocative--almost familiar--I wondered if I’d read it before and then set it to one side. Nope. The plot was definitely unique. Maybe it was the characterisation. I read a lot of fic and sometimes all the Edwards and Jaspers kind of meld into one.

Not this time.

Not with this Jasper.

This Jasper is my ideal type of Jasper, who--luckily--just happens to be with my ideal type of Edward. Think down-home and sassy meets kind and clever.

What they have together is a love thang:

“I've known Edward for half my life, and I've loved him longer, I think.

When I first laid eyes on him, I knew he was for me.

He hasn't changed much over the years, other than being the only person on this earth to get more and more beautiful though time, if that's possible.”

This Jasper rambles. Sometimes he’s barely coherent. I don’t know why his epic monologues are so appealing to me, but they are. When he isn’t talking to himself, he’s cursing. Sometimes he combines the two:

“Wiggle it, he says. Well I'm fucking wiggling it, and it ain't fucking working.

Just pull it out gentle like, and put it in slow, he fucking says, and that's what I'm fucking doing, and it ain't fucking working.

OK breathe.

Wiggle it a little, and you'll be in.

God I'm sweating like a God damn bitch right now; what a crock of shit.”

Oh Jasper.

The story starts with Jasper’s desperate sadness and worry that he’s lost Edward. I read the first few chapters with Aradi’s patented my dog done died and now my truck won’t start™ internal Country & Western soundtrack playing.  

Lordy, Jasper was sad, sad, sad. But, his woefulness does give him the chance to tell us all about how he and Edward hooked up.

Dang, the dude surely can reminisce:

“Hold it together Hale, hold it together, I chant to myself, trying to make sure I have downloaded this experience to memory, cause if I never ever get to do this again, I fucking want to make sure I remember every God damn detail for my morning showers and late night masturbation sessions.”

As the chapters progress – and they progress with the kind or gorgeously relaxed flow that means you will lose whole chunks of your afternoon without realizing – Jasper describes how he and Edward have a life together, a good life. Only they have an issue, a difference of opinion that threatens their previously rock solid relationship.

It’s so good.

It’s so honest.

It’s messy.

It’s raw.

I love it.

At the time of writing I’m six chapters in, and already I’m hoping that it will carry on forever. There are fourteen chapters of Best Part of Me Was Always You posted, and kgq seems to update super-fast. So, if you all don’t mind, I’m going to stop this here and carry on reading.

Enjoy!

Conversed.

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Ah, as a reader, you gotta love the slight awkwardness of being unaware of yourself. And of seeing the best friend who’s obviously into you and you don’t even realize it. I’d imagine it’d be less entertaining for the character, but for us as readers that shit’s golden. Well, to me it is, anyway.

Never more so, than in ICMezzo’s Worth the Climb, where Jasper’s managed to convince Edward to hike up the mountain for the weekend. Poor Edward isn’t in as good a shape as Jasper is, and is huffing along after his friend. His internal musings are quite entertaining, and often end with a “Fucking Jasper.” To which I say... “yes, and please,” but I digress.

Edward is a little... paranoid, about being out in the wilderness. This isn’t helped by Jasper’s idea of joking around. Edward pays him back, though. You’ll see the - albeit unintentional - torment he puts Jasper through.

I looked over and grinned at him after I'd finished another and licked my lips. He was watching me with a seriously pained look in his eyes. He must really want a marshmallow. I considered giving in and giving them to him, but I had to teach Jasper a lesson. It was dangerous to throw marshmallows; someone could have gotten hurt.

I popped another of the toasty treats into my mouth and moaned in feigned happiness. Seriously, it was my ninth marshmallow and they were actually starting to make me sick. But I had to make my point.

I glanced at Jasper to make sure he noticed, but was surprised to see he looked more than a little flushed. I suggested he sit back a bit further from the fire, since his cheeks appeared so unusually red. The last thing we needed was for him to start cooking over the fire. The smell of smoked Jasper was likely to cause every grizzly in New England to come running. But Jasper just seemed to turn even redder at my suggestion, though he did scoot back a bit.

"Uh, you have some, uh, marshmallow on your chin and mouth. It looks like... well, just wipe it off, okay," Jasper said after a moment, while staring intently at the fire.

Poor Jasper. Things get progressively more interesting when Edward wakes up in the middle of the night, having to take a piss. Not a big deal, one might say, except the guy’s scared of the wildlife around them. So he wakes up Jasper, demanding he help him out.

"For the love of god, Edward," he replied. "It's cold out there."

"Just come on. Please," I begged. "Please. It's you're fault anyway. You made me drink."

I heard him pull his pillow over his head. "Edward, you're killing me. I am not helping you pee."

"Yes, you are," I told him. "You dragged me up this fucking mountain, and now you will hold my hand while I pee if I tell you to!"

He just laughed. "Nope."

"Jasper!" I cried. "I have to gooooo!"

"Oh for fuck's sake. Will you stop whining if I do?" he finally groaned, throwing his pillow to the side and reaching for his shoes.

"Yes," I replied, grabbing my own shoes and flashlight, greatly relieved that I wouldn't have to face the darkness or the large predators alone.

"You fucking owe me big," he commented, shivering at the cold air, as he grabbed his coat and climbed out of the tent.

*grins* What happens after all of this (and much of what happens in between, believe me, there’s plenty of chuckles to be had), you’ll have to go read for yourself.

Hey, ICMezzo, when are these two going camping again? ;-)

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There you have it, folks. Some slashy goodness to sink your teeth into. Remember to gives these ladies some lovin' after you read their stories.

Are you writing for the Twilight No Stress Love Fest yet? No? Why on earth not? Are you making something pretty, maybe? No? Well hop to it and have some fun! They're looking for some Sizzlin' Summer Love stories (in all its shapes and sizes). Just pick a prompt (or pick several), and get to steppin'! You have until the end of June to finish up and send in.