Tuesday's Best (On Wednesday!)

Hey all, 


It's con_riley here (AKA Conversed) stepping up for the awesome Naelany who's taking a  short personal break so that I can come visit with you all for a while. It's been too long!


So, if this post looks fugly, let's not mention my lack of blogging skillz, 'k? It can be our little secret. LOL


We have two AMAZING recs for you today, and some super-exciting information about everyone's favorite summer slash contest at the end of this post, so keep reading!

Tuesday's Best 4-3-2012

Good morning, my lovelies. Wow! Can you believe it's April already? Time sure is flying away at warpspeed, isn't it? Or is that just me? Anyway, Connie and MizzDee have found a couple of stories to settle yourselves down with for a while, so take some time for yourself and enjoy!

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Slash Guest Author Rec - Sadtomato_ff

I struggled to come up with a “theme” for this post. Undiscovered slash? Old favorites? Kinky fics? One-shots only? In the end, I realized I read a pretty wide range of stories and I can’t really come up with a list to fit any one theme. Instead you’re getting a handful of things I’ve been reading recently--a mix of old/new, het/slash/poly, kinky/vanilla (okay, mostly kinky). I hope you find something that you like!

Tuesday's Best 5-10-2011

Good morning, folks. Hope y'all are staying safe and dry out there (and cool). Aradi and I have found you another couple of goodies to share and enjoy, so let's have a look, shall we?

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Slash Guest Author Rec - Coolbreeeze

Why hello. Coolbreeeze here. As some of you may know if you follow me on twitter or tumblr, my Twilight love has waned. *gasp/shock/awe* My life has mostly been consumed by a man, who you may know, Daniel Radcliffe. He was in a small movie franchise called Harry Potter. No biggie. I doubt you’ve heard of it. Anyway, when Naelany asked me to give some recommendations for this blog I thought, um. Shit. What have I read that was Twilight related? A few moments later after I set down the DanRad pictures, I remembered, two fantastic stories from the Twilight world and one from the Harry Potter HP/DM world because I can’t resist. So, without further ado, here you go:

Tuesday's Best 4-12-2011

Good morning, my lovelies. Hope you're doing fine today, and are ready to face the week. If you could do with a bit of a boost (like me, as both hubs and I managed to get sick), then why don't we go ahead and take a peek at what Aradi and I have found for you. I can tell you right now, though, that we almost had another round of fisticuffs over her rec ;-)

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Tuesday's Best 4-5-2011

Good morning, my lovelies! I hope today finds you well, healthy, and happy! The good Captain and Stolenxsanity have found you two wonderful slashy stories that I'm sure you'll enjoy (I know I did!). So bring some towels, a fresh pair of panties, and let's go have a look, shall we?

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Tuesday's Best 2-15-2011

Good morning, my lovelies! I hope you had a fabulous Valentine's Day, and that you're ready to stock up on some chocolate and whatever other goodies that are available just now ;-)

Speaking of goodies! Let's check out what Aradi and I have in store for you today, shall we? Yes, I know Stolenxsanity's supposed to be sharing some lovin' with you today, but due to unforeseen circumstances we had to swap, so you get me, instead ;-) I promise, I'll make it good ;-)

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It’s that time again.

You know... where I get kinda-stalkery and kinda-fangirly all up one side of Conversed and down the other.

The time where I only half-pretend I’m all seriousface and objective-y reviewer, and not totally living in her back pocket.

(When I’m not too busy stalking the other people I stalk.)

(I have to be fair.)

It’s easy to be this way though, when Conversed keeps cranking out the gems.  It’s like she wants us to love her fics or something.

It’s crazy.

So yeah I’ve told you all about Twinned and Seventeen Men.  We’ve also pimped I'm Listening.

Now Conversed has climbed on the drabble train with Age Gaps (or, Age Gaps On The Internet Are Completely Irrelevant).

Age Gaps is older Carlisle/younger Riley, and you know I love unusual pairings.  Their story is told in CPOV over 45ish drabbles.  It is silly... and hot... and sweet.

They meet in an internet forum, and this is why the story resonated so much for me.  I mean, I can already identify with the boylove stories because, hey, I love cute boys too.  I can also identify with the potential and perils of meeting on the internet.  

It shouldn't be easy to describe the essential mind-fuck that my online-friendship has become, but somehow it is.

I find the words and they're simple.

"I got to know someone online, he makes getting up a pleasure, and I can't wait to get home to talk more.

But he's young.

Too young. In real life we'd probably have nothing in common. I miss him terribly."

See thats the problem and the perfection of the internet;  we’re all equal parts old, young, and ageless here.

(Except you, Mom.  Close the browser and go play Minesweeper.)

So Carlisle feels a connection with Riley, but once he finds out he’s much younger, he decides it just wont work.  They haven’t even met “for real” and Carlisle has closed his mind to the possibility (and then completely New Moons poor Riley, fool).  The solution is hopefully in Riley’s unfailing persistence, and the conspiring of some amusing insiders in Carlisle’s life.

(The solution is possibly silly and sweet and oh-so-hot.)

(Possibly.)

(Conversed is definitely all three.  I know this from the interwebs.)

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You know that awful heartache? That horrible hollow feeling that’s left in the wake of a break-up? Those days, weeks, months after, where you simply don’t want to deal with life anymore and you just want to wallow in misery?

Yeah, I think we all know that, don’t we? If we’re lucky, we have friends that help us out of that funk. Jasper was, when he and Peter broke up. Edward was there for him then, despite having a boyfriend of his own who was none too pleased with the extra attention Edward was giving Jasper.

So what do you think happens when Edward reaches that low-point? Well, bmango shows us just how Jasper steps up to the plate in Harbor In The Tempest. Through Jasper’s eyes, we get to see just how poorly Edward is coping with his break-up. And we also get to see how Jasper pushes past his own desire for Edward, in order to help the man who is first and foremost his best friend.

Inside his apartment it's completely dark. The lights are off and the curtains are drawn. The only noise is from the television, and I make my way cautiously toward the sound, stumbling over pizza boxes on my way.

I find him there, sprawled on the couch in his boxers, the lights from the television flickering across his face. Just as I predicted. The thing that I hadn't counted on is his vacant stare, his lifeless expression. Around him are more take-out containers and empty beer cans. A half bottle of whiskey is sitting between his legs and he has one hand wrapped around the neck. I continue to watch as he slowly lifts it to his lips and pours another swallow down his throat, never even acknowledging my presence.

Fuck.

What did that bastard do to him?

"Edward?" I start and then flinch when he turns his blank eyes to me. All the feeling has bled out of them and there's nothing left but a dull, lifeless green.

"Edward, you're scaring the piss out of me. What the fuck happened? Did James do something?" I ask in a soft, calm voice, slowly edging nearer and wondering how I'm going to pull him out of this. This is worse than after Allistair or Tyler or Erik or any of them. And I didn't think he actually liked James that much.

I kneel in front of him settling onto my heels, and his eyes follow me, a small flicker of light in the darkness.

He whimpers and curls in on himself, hugging his knees to his chest. As he's moving, I deftly remove the whiskey bottle before the alcohol ends up on him or the floor and set it on the coffee table. I rise and sit on the couch, pulling him into my lap and just holding him as close as possible, his warm weight pressing into my chest. And although recently I have had some small fantasies of doing just this with Edward, I definitely didn't want it to be under these circumstances.

Will Jasper be able to help Edward get past the feelings of inadequacy and loss that he’s feeling? Or could there be more at play here? To get the answer to that, you’ll have to go read for yourself.

 

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There you have it, folks. Two great stories to sink your teeth into. Be sure to leave these wonderful authors some love, and check back next week to see what Captain Jezebel and Stolenxsanity have in store for you. 

In the mean time, have a look at the wonderful entries for the Twilight No Stress Love Fest. There's several slash stories there, as well as an array of other gems. Check it out, and see if you can guess who wrote/made what. Yours truly has even entered. Do you think you can find me?

Tuesday's Best 11-30-2010

Good morning,  my sweets. Are y'all recovered from your turkey comas? Or are you snuggled up under a blanket, sitting by the fireside with your cup of hot cocoa? No? Well shoot. You need something else to warm yourself with? I think Captain Jezebel and Stolenxsanity have just the ticket for you. Let's check it out, shall we? Just remember to grab fresh panties, and a towel, first ;-)

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Hello my lovely slash nuts, lol that sounds quite apt. Anyway...Captain Jezebel back again with another lovely little tale of boy loves boy for you. My choice this week was an entry in  the Many Faces of Jasper Contest hosted by Jasper's Darlins . Voting for the contest has just ended this week and the results should be posted soon, if not up already.

Just the Way You Are by mw138 is the sweetest tale of a Geeksper/Shysper beginning his career as the Director of IT at a major company, and what  happens when he meets the beautiful VP of Corporate Communications; one Edward Cullen.

Jasper, being the geeky, shy man he is, can not see himself being anything that Edward Cullen would be interested in. In fact his self esteem often needs to be pumped up by his loving, supportive best friend Alice. When a chance meeting in Alice’s office leads to an appointment for Jasper to fix Edward’s computer troubles, Jasper discovers he has a bit more in common with the Adonis than he originally thought.

Edward's eyes lit up.

"Are you serious? You go to Comic Con?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I've gone for the past four years. Some buddies of mine from college always go, but for various reasons I'll be flying solo this year."

He started bouncing on the balls of his feet and looked like a kid on Christmas morning waiting to open his first gift.

"I've been wanting to go to Comic Con for the past three years, but I can never make it because of work. I told myself I'm going to make it there even if I have to move heaven and hell to do it."

"Cool," I replied.

Hmmmm *scratches chin* seems to me that Edward may have a bit of a geek in him as well. *coughs*orhewantstohaveageekinhim*coughs* What did I say? *looks around innocently*. Jasper and Edward become fast friends, but Jasper finds himself falling deeper for the beautiful Edward everyday. Sadly he is always afraid to take that step, afraid that someone like Edward could not seriously find anything special in a geek like him.

A budding friendship, a trip to Comic Con together, a shared hotel room with only one King size bed, a run in with an ex boyfriend....hmmmm I wonder what this spells for our favorite couple of Twislash. There is only one way you will find out....read it my lovelies, it’s such a sweet story; you won’t regret it. Plus Edward and Jasper as so freaking adorable, oh and Eric Northman may or may not make an appearance...just saying. Give it a read, and don’t forget to leave the author some love if you do.

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Goodness, this week just flew by ... and I'm pretty sure I ate my weight in pumpkin pie over the past few days. That being said, I hope your Thanksgiving holidays - if you celebrate it - were filled with wonderful food and even better company. One out of two isn't so bad, though.

I feel like I should preface this rec by saying that, while I do read slash!fic, I'm really rather picky. So, some of the stories that I'm rec'ing, this one included, I'm just finding - and kicking myself over for the fact that I hadn't found them sooner.

Anyway, I'm here again this week to bring you yet another rec. This time, it comes in the form of the one-shot The One Time Emmett Was Right by the lovely bmango. This story is a nice mix of humor - take a moment to consider the title - and ohmygodthatwasfuckinghot-ness.

We stop at the camp store and get a map to our site before driving around the loop. Our spot is premium, right on the water with a tiny little sandy beach just for us. Emmett maneuvers the SUV into the small space and we all get out to stretch our legs before setting up camp.

"Jesus Christ, this is a nice spot!" Emmett yells, apparently trying to scare away any wildlife or small children in the area. "Who did I have to blow to get this?"

"Me," comes a smooth voice I would recognize almost anywhere.

We all turn to see a tall, shirtless, rugged man with piercing blue eyes, a chiseled jaw,and slightly curly blonde hair strolling into our campsite with his muscular arms full of firewood. His board shorts are low on his hips and his back muscles ripple as he shifts the load in his arms. He is sex on legs.

I am so fucked.

"Jasper!" Emmett yells and rushes the poor guy, who drops the wood on the ground as he's tackled.

Garrett nudges me with his shoulder. "Um, Edward. You might want to close your mouth and wipe off your chin."

Now that you've got a little glimpse into the head of our narrator, Edward, and seen who it is our lead guy will be lusting after, let me attempt to wax poetic about this lovely little gem.

I love a story where the main characters aren't throwing themselves at each other right off the bat. The UST is where it's at for me. If the build up isn't a believable slow burn, it leaves me wanting - no, craving - more. This, and more, was accomplished by bmango's wonderful story telling abilities.

Either I lean or he leans, but we are somehow closer, almost touching. My skin pulses with the heat radiating from his body, and my need to feel his skin with my fingers is nearly overwhelming. Then I stumble over a log on the ground, scrambling to stay upright, and he clears his throat, turning slightly. I can still feel the shaking in my fingers, the pounding in my chest, but the moment seems to be gone. We need to get back before I do something stupid.

"Um, yeah, I found these logs. Already cut and...yeah," I stumble over my words, my inner awkward teenager making an unwelcome appearance.

He looks back towards me, his brow furrowed slightly, and then down at the ground. "Great. This should be plenty for tonight and maybe even tomorrow."

We gather up the wood in silence and tramp back to the campsite, greeted by smirks and knowing winks.

"Well, hello, boys. Find anything good out there?" Emmett asks with a goofy smile on his face.

"Just some firewood, Emmett," Jasper answers, his voice less smooth than I'm used to. I glance quickly at his face, wondering if he's embarrassed or disappointed or angry, but he looks to Seth and then picks up his guitar again, sitting quickly and strumming, effectively ending any conversation.

Cockblocking awkwardness, I shake my fist at you ... or something like that. But, it's cute and it's perfect - at least for this story. Sure, that could have gone an entirely different way - and I'm sure no one would have complained if it had - but the awkward stumbling and fumbling and should I or shouldn't I? is what makes these guys all the more endearing - and real.

And while I could give you a glimpse at the lemony goodness that does eventually come - no pun intended, promise - I'll leave you with this instead:

"Listen Jasper. I know that last night was...well, intense, but I understand." I avoid looking at him and back away slightly, but he grabs my hand, keeping me there.

"Understand what, Edward?" he asks, challenging me, stepping toward me as he continues. "That I want to keep seeing you after this weekend, if you'll have me? That last night was more than 'intense', it was one of the best experiences I've ever had?"

I stand, mouth open, no words of my own forming. But his words keep circling in my brain. Have me. Best experience.

I continue to be frozen in place as he closes the remaining distance between us, grabbing my biceps and pulling me into him. He kisses me soundly as I grab onto his belt loops, returning the fervor of his mouth.

I'm sure you want to know how they stumbled their way from point A to point B, and I don't blame you. For that, though, you'll have to click that little link up top and give this story a read. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

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Mmmm, those really are quite lovely. We hope you'll enjoy them as much as we have. Don't forget to leave these wonderful authors some love, and be sure to check back next week to see what Aradi and I have in store for you. In the mean time, keep safe and warm. 

Tuesday's Best 8-31-2010

Well good morning, everyone. I hope y'all are ready for another day of fabulous recs, brought to you by our lovely Aradi and Captain Jezebel. Be sure to bring your towels and pantie-changes, because you're likely going to need them. Let's see what they have in store for us today, shall we?

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I’m going to step outside my box a little this week.  Brace yourselves!  I’ve put down my angsty-sized bottle of tequila and set aside my compulsion for the odd pairs or themes.  This week I prove I can love a sweet and straightforward Jasper & Edward fic.

Ready For You (by bmango) is being written as a birthday gift for theladyingrey42, who is both lucky and deserving.  It is a little bit unusual as some of the chapters are drabbles.  The story features a guitar-playing Jasper and a British Edward, so really, whats not to like?

I barely blink as I watch him watching me. The noise of the room fades away and there's only this beautiful man before me, stealing my very breath.

His shoulders slump as he releases a large sigh, and he rakes his fingers through his hair before shaking his head and turning back to the game.

I stay for a few more minutes, wondering what kind of spell this man from the other side of the world has put on me.

Eventually, I can't resist the pull of sleep and decide I've stayed up late enough to be less jetlagged tomorrow. I wander past the bulletin board in the lobby, looking for postings for rides. There are several offers, but most seem to be heading to Cradle Mountain. I have a tour booked to see the parks, so I'm more interested in exploring the east side of the island.

And then I see it.

"Wanted. Man or woman to ride share to Bicheno Backpackers, leaving Tuesday, returning Friday. If interested, please text at +01 697-555-9431."

The boys meet in a youth hostel in Tasmania.  Edward has just started his trip, but Jasper is nearing the end of his.  They end up traveling and sightseeing together, which launches their friendship (and more).  Their travels provide for a quasi-courtship (lots of time for talking, dinners, wine, and guitars) even before they figure out the is-he-or-isn’t-he and the does-he-feel-the-same.

The sunshine of their tale is clouded by the fact that we know they have a finite amount of time together, among other complications.  Whether or not they figure each other out and act on it, they will end up thousands of miles apart in a matter of days.  Luckily the boys don’t think much about this, as they are too busy with the aforementioned is-he-and-does-he.

I glance at his sleeping form while I drive, aching to touch him, to have him touch me.

When I thought he was straight, I could pretend I just appreciated the view. Found a new friend.

But he's not and I'm not. And he's more wonderful than anything I could have imagined.

Currently there are twenty chapters, alternating JPOV/EPOV, and I don’t know how close we are to the end of the tale.  Either way, the chapters have been going up with joyous frequency, so soon you’ll be able to know where Jasper and Edward’s travels took them.  In the meantime the story is sweet and UST-y and romantic, and just perfect to offset the miserable, angsty fics you may be reading.

Not that I’d know anything about that.

If you read Ready For You, be sure to give bmango plenty of love for her generous gift (to us all).

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Hallo, slash Liebhaber! Captain Jezebel back again with a tasty rec for you E/J lovers. One thing fanfic is known for is the many wonderful contests to enter. With a fandom this size, it is quite possible that many contests are similar to others. In my opinion, The Plot Bunny Contest was one of the most original contests this fandom has ever seen.

The concept was fun for both readers and writers alike. Readers who don’t write fic, but had a plot bunny stuck in their head got a chance to submit it to the contest. Writers got a chance to flex their writing skills, fleshing out a plot bunny they didn’t think up themselves. Also writers got a chance to submit plot bunnies that they didn’t get a chance to write about yet.

Unfortunately I haven’t gotten a chance to peruse all of the stories yet, but one of them has become a favorite of mine; I just had to share with you guys.

The Plot Bunny: Edward, Seth, Jasper & Emmett are in a touring band together. Two of the four end up hooking up. How/why/when is up to you!
The Story: A Night In Vienna.
The Author: The lovely and talented Zigster

Lucky for me, she decided to make Edward and Jasper those two sexy boys that hook up. E and J have been the very closest of friends for 6 years, but something went wrong, and now they can barely stand each other. It’s tough for E to think about, and he often pinpoints the spot where things changed between them; an argument after spending time with E’s old university buddies in Dublin.

Being on tour in Europe is making it even harder for these two, because they are often in close quarters, but are too stubborn to work out their differences. The other band members; Seth, and Emmett, and their manager Billy are reaching a breaking point with them. They decide to take matters into their own hands and force E and J to spend time with each other.

Emmett's message was loud and indiscernible through the phone. Seth's was apologetic and not very forthcoming. And Billy's...Billy was the last person I wanted to hear from and the only one who had any answers: a necessary evil. I pressed the phone to my ear in concentration and prepared myself for the verbal tongue lashing that was about to befall me.

"'Morning Edward. Change of plans it seems, since neither you nor Jasper are here at the airport with us. I've scheduled you a new flight for tomorrow. The desk clerk has your train and e-tickets, and we have your bags. The only problem is that come noon, you're checked out of that hotel. Sorry bout that, but last minute scheduling and all. Hope you and Jasper can work something out. See you in a day or two." Click.

What. The. Fuck?

He wasn't mad. In fact, he sounded apologetic. Concerned even. And did he say noon? By noon we had to be out of here? Until tomorrow? Billy just left his two guitarists stranded on the streets of Vienna for a day?

Oh yes he did. Billy, Em and Seth left them stranded in a strange city, hoping they would have to talk, and discover what the real root of the problem is. Apparently to everyone but themselves these boys have been quite blind on the true cause of friction between them.

It is no where near easy going at first. Of course these two were not going to simply see. They fight and split up when what they should really be doing is sticking together. A stranger in a strange land, is never a stranger when he has a friend. ;)

I really don’t want to give too much away, but there is a beautiful mystical force working on the side of these boys, even if they do not know it. This beautiful magic peels away the blindfold from their eyes and helps them see clearly, and helps them find just what they need.

I do have to say if you are a 100 Monkeys fan you are going to LOVE this piece. As a fan myself it helped to have images of Jackson singing and playing guitar in my mind, when trying to picture this Jasper...he is beyond yummy, and Edward...UNF! Go...Read...Now....It’s so good, and so worth it. Don’t forget to leave Zigster some love if you do.

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There you have it, folks! We hope you enjoyed these stories as much as we have here at TU. Be sure to check back with us next week, when The Captain will be back with another great rec. Oh, and I'll have a little somethin' somethin', too ;-) Be sure to leave the authors some love, and have a great rest of your week.