Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Tuesday's Best 9-13-2011

Good morning, my lovelies. Hope today finds you happy, healthy, and yearning for more goodies from us. Either way, Aradi and I found some great stories to share with you, so why don't we just jump right on in. Don't forget to grab towels and a fresh pair of panties!

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In my neverending search for more (smut) to read, I've been trying to branch out.

(Wolfpack stories are still not happening.)

(Except for Seth. He's adorable.)

The one thing I could never quite get into was femme slash. I didn't hate it; it just didn't do anything for me. I couldn’t figure out why, as a chick, I couldn't get into chick stories. I finally decided I had just as much in common with the boys in the boy/boy stories (i.e. I like boys).

Also it helps if you're attracted to at least half of any couple, and with M/M stories I can be attracted to both halves! (Bonus!)

But I keep trying, thinking that someday I'll find the fic that makes me see the light or hear the choir of angels.

Acceptance, by the always-wonderful Mskathy, comes darn close.

Acceptance is a Bella&Leah O/S that was written for the TwiSlash Unveiled Femme Slash Contest. The ladies are introduced by Alice, of course, and the story quickly launches into their first date.

Standing back, I watched her. She had long, slender fingers and they were wrapped around the water glass. Her fingertips swirled in the condensation, creating lines and patterns, grouping smaller droplets and then watching them fall to the table. She kept her head down, mostly, stopping to check her phone a few times. Christ, she looks more nervous than I am. I walked to the table and offered my warmest smile.

She was beautiful in a way that made my heart ache for no apparent reason. When she lifted her head, I expected to see deep, dark eyes, and was genuinely shocked to see the light bounce off what I could only describe as gold-infused toffee. Her dark, shiny hair was pulled back in a loose braid, and came to an end almost halfway down her back. Dressed simply in a fitted black tank top, faded, dark camo cargo pants, and black flip flops, she was a bit of a contradiction with the sparkling diamond studs in her ears.

"I'm Bella," I said, smiling. "Are you Leah?"

This fic checks so many of the boxes for my favorite things. There are interesting characters (that aren't stereotypes). There's a progression of attraction, and some delightfully awkward getting-to-know you moments. There's little bit of heart-to-heart and a little bit of love-is-love. Oh, and of course there's little bit of steamy girl-love.

One of my favorite quirks of the story is the hint of canon. Leah struggles with who she is. Bella won’t let labels define who she should love.

Acceptance is just one of a pile of wonderful fics by Mskathy. If you've never quite caught the femme slash bandwagon (but always wanted to), definitely give it a try. If you're already among the enlightened, feel free to point and laugh at me as I play catch-up.

~Aradi

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Toutes Les Petites Choses by FangLang is her first story (that she’s shared with us, at least), and I have to say, I think she nailed it. I’m certainly very happy that she posted it so that I can share it with y’all, anyway.

Edward is driving Bella back to Forks in order to celebrate his brother’s wedding. The two’ve been best friends for years, and Bella knows all Edward’s secrets.

Except one.

No, no, she knows Edward’s gay, and has for a long time. She also knows about Edward’s severe crush on Jasper, Rosalie’s brother. Rosalie, who’s going to marry Emmett. Jasper, who’s not only her brother, but also one of Emmett’s best friends.

Are you still with me here? Good. Because Edward’s secret is not going to be a secret much longer, and we get to go along on the ride of disclosure.

I shake my head at the memory and give a small nod to Bella.

"Yes, Rosalie's brother."

She's tapping her fingers against her chin as she watches me and I can tell she's playing back that summer in her mind. The ensuing smile says she's remembering specific details.

This will be good.

"You had the biggest crush on him!" Bella suddenly exclaims.

I give her another nod. Maybe I won't have to talk after all. Bella is silent for a moment until she lets out a bark of laughter.

"Do you remember when I convinced you to go skinny dipping? You know, that night we got into the wine coolers?" The excitement in her voice is clear, but I know she's ready to make fun of me, so I hold out a little.

I can feel her eyes on me as I roll into the parking lot at First Beach, but I don't say anything until I've pulled into a spot overlooking the water. The tide is on its way in; waves are crashing closer to shore. A few kids are playing a familiar game, getting close to the water but running away with shrieks and giggles if it touches their toes. I can spot a couple walking further down the beach, their hands swinging between them. I kill the engine and take a moment to enjoy the salty sea air now breezing through the open windows, caressing my exposed skin.

"How could I forget, Bella?" I ask, keeping my tone serious, fixing her with a glare. She rolls her eyes, not believing me for a second. I reach over and push the sunglasses back in place.

"Come on, it was fun." She raises her eyebrows up and down a few times and it's my turn to roll my eyes.

"It was fun for you," I remind her.

"Well, you were having fun until Jasper showed, holding up your underwear in one hand and my bra in another. I thought you were going to slip under the water and never come up for air," Bella says. giving in to giggles.

"I almost did."

I’ll let you read for yourself what all transpires. Enjoy, and if you love this story as much as I do, give FangLang some love and encouragement to tell us more. You just know there’s more to all of this. Much, much more.

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There you have it, folks, we hope you enjoy these as much as we do. Be sure to leave these wonderful ladies some love, and check back next week to see what MizzDee and I have in store for you.

In the mean time, don't forget to stop by Slash/Backslash 3.0 to vote (poll's open until the 18th)!

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