Sunday Selections for January 10, 2010

This is our Free for all month, so everything goes!

IdreamofEddy recommends All That I've Got: Gabriel POV by BlackWingedGabriel

Yeah, okay, so a few weeks ago I did rec All That I've Got. And, although this is the same story, this is from Gabe's POV, which makes it entirely different because we can see inside the man, and some of the secrets behind the man are finally being revealed.

I have to give you a glimpse inside these two stories because the fact is, this story just doesn't get the love it truly deserves. And when I get sick of the repetitive bullshit that has become the Jasper/Bella fandom (Yes, I did say that), you can thank these two stories for reminding me that originality does exist.

Okay, so ATIG takes place after Edward leaves Bella. There is no Jake in this story, it simply takes an original route. Bella goes to the Cullens' house and enters. What she finds in the house is a man curled into a ball in the corner. But, he is no man. He is Gabriel, an Ancient Roman vampire who once belonged to a special coven of vampires, and he is cursed. He is also wanted for a few different...things. There are vampires constantly attempting to collect his head for bounty. The curse, however, is unique in itself because it renders Gabriel unable to feed - off of humans, anyway.

Enter the human, who gives our man an alternative. And, she even hunts for him because it takes away the pain. It gives her something else to focus on. And, if you thought poor Bella was the pet before, you haven't seen anything yet. Gabe is truly insightful, colorful, downright angsty, and a very humorous motherfucker. Sorry, I know this is a K+ story, but the fact is, he is all of those things plus more.

Now, I'm not going to give you the rest of the story, but I will tell you that Bella...comes to find herself in the middle and is a wanted person herself. You have to appreciate the banter between the two, and more importantly, you have to appreciate Gabe as he discovers his ability to love again. And now the story is getting down to the nitty gritty and Edward Cullen is surely never going to be the same again.

Except it really wasn’t. A mystery, I mean. I knew already. There was no need for anybody to spell it out to me. This serious mood between the perfect angelic boy and Bella…I had known ever since I had heard her call to him in her sleep. I just didn’t have the details, but I didn’t want or need them. It was more than enough that I wanted to light his nice hair on fire and see him running around with it.

There is a lot of strength and conviction in some of the dialogue passages within both of these stories. Gabe's curt and short responses are powerful, but then, so is he. He is a the vampire you cannot just help but love; but, it's so wrong to do so. The mystery that is Gabe unravels a little bit more with each chapter. I love this story, and the original hard. I even found my Gabe, and gave him the eyes he would have.

You like? I like. I found this pic on google. Does anyone know who he is?

Go read these stories. They are both so very entertaining and I have enjoyed them both. So has La-Mer-De-Lune. (See? I won't give up! Is it February yet?)

(Yes, I devoted a fucking page to this rec. I told you I love this hard).

Jasper’s Bella recommends Uprising by Jasperskitty

Story begins five months after Bella’s birthday party. Jasper returns. What will he find? J/B story. Lemons in the future.

This story is only 7 chapters in right now and all the chapters are in Jasper's, Peter's, and Bella’s POVs. This story is written really well and I have loved every minute of it. With there being so few chapters, it’s kinda hard to say anything about it without revealing too much about the story. Just trust me when I say that it’s fantastic and you won’t be disappointed.

JaspersDestiny recommends A second chance at love by stephenie-inspired-novelwriter

Sometimes love isn't enough. When Edward's overprotective control is the death of their relationship, Bella must find a way to move on with her life. Everyone deserves a second chance at love. Rated M for future lemons. Bella/Jasper

So, Edward, our little, overprotective control freak gets dumped by Bella. We've seen this before. But, what I love about this story is that Bella is really trying to take charge of her life. It takes a strong individual to realize that maybe a relationship is not meant to be, and an even stronger person to take that final step in severing an unhealthy romantic relationship. Now, I'm not going to get into whether I think Edward is bad or not - shit, I had to wax poetic with one of my reviewers who I swear brought unicorns into the mix at some point after lengthy PMs between the two of us over Edward's character. Bottom line? For me, Edward and Bella do not make a good fit. Period. I'll get to enjoying Edward when Edward month comes up when I read some good fic with him as a central character.

So, on to why I'm actually recommending this story...the Cullens don't leave after Bella breaks up with Edward. There is a family meeting to decide Bella's place with the Cullens, and Bella is present - thanks to an exuberant Emmett. Against Edward's wishes, among some others, it is decided that Bella is 'family' in whatever capacity she wishes. I love how the Cullens don't listen to Edward and leave so he can have his snit fit somewhere else in the world, dragging everyone else along with him! So, as a Jasper/Bella fic, and as a Jasper/Bella lover, I swoon when they're together, especially in this fic. Theirs is a beautifully interesting friendship, and they come to rely on each other quite a bit; especially Jasper. With Edward out of the way, Bella and Jasper truly get a chance to get to know each other. It's a slow build, and it's so VERY worth it. All I have to say is that 'A Walk in the Woods with Jasper' is devine! Even more devine? stephenie-inspired-novelwriter's lemony one shot alternate outtake called Begin Forever. *poof go the panties*

So, yeah. A second chance at love is a must read! I was going to do my 'Where in the world is...' segment on stephenie-inspired-novelwriter, but she's gone through some changes in her personal life and she's very busy writing her own novel at the moment, so I wouldn't hold my breath *waves at stephenie-inspired-novelwriter* <--but, you could let us know IF you WILL be updating *bats eyelashes* Pretty please? Um, it's been since July 23, 2009!

I love this story! Oh, and I just want to say 'thank you' for being really original and writing your very own ORIGINAL novel. Some people in fandom could follow your example. But, you need originality to pull off something original. End.of.

Maelyn recommends Shadows by Pears13

Bella has spent the past seven years hiding from the pain of one horrible night in high school. Edward lives his life in guilt, trying hard to make up for a mistake he made years ago. When the two of them meet, they are forced to face their pain. B/E Rated M AH

Warning: This fic contains mentions of rape. If this is a sensitive issue for you, perhaps you should skip this one.

I read this a while back and thought it was an excellent story that dealt with some very real issues. I love the way the author seems to have investigated the psyche in relation to rape victims and didn't make it 'easy', nor was it merely the physical stuff she had to get over, but the mental as well.

Bella is a strong woman, but still very cautious and hesitant to get intimately involved, physically or emotionally. The discussions with Angela and the whole teddy bear thing is just so well done. I love the symbolism there.

Edward is also a strong man. Coming out of a relationship of convenience with Tanya, he immediately falls for the wounded Bella. He has trials of his own to overcome, along with being the strong and patient man that Bella needs to help her get over her past.

I love their interaction. I love the complex personalities given to both Edward and Bella. They are both weak and strong in different ways, just like all us normal people. This helps the reader to identify with the characters and makes for such a good fic.

There is action, angst, fluff, and lemony goodness in this fic. If you want something AH and well rounded, then this is the fic for you!

missmaj recommends Safe and Sound by Touchstone67

Edward, Jasper and Bella are best friends-but when Jasper and Bella take a summer road trip through Texas-will things change between the two of them? What will happen when the trip is over and they reunite with Edward? AH JasperxBella Rated M

Jasper is the new kid from Texas, Bella is the girl from Phoenix, and Edward the homegrown boy of Forks. For the first ten chapters we get to see how their friendship grew. And what a beautiful friendship they had. But it was more than just friendship, it was unconditional love. And much like any friendship, it starts to fall apart as they grow.

It's also a story of how Bella and Jasper's romantic feelings intensift as time goes on, but how they were afraid to reveal the truth because they thought it may hurt Edward. Edward, the person who binds the group together, suggests that they should go on a road trip and hopefully restore what they had.

Normally, I was adamant about stories where Edward was an integral part of Jasper and Bella. But that wasn't the case in this story. I love this Edward. He's the stronghold of their group. Without him, they may have fallen apart. In the end, I think he'll be the one who will make Jasper and Bella realize that they're truly meant for one another. I want a best friend like him.

As much as I would love for Jasper and Bella to get together now, there are still unanswered questions that need to be answered in order for them get a HEA. And I will patiently wait for it.

P.S.

I think the singing cactus at the end of chapter 11 is a very nice touch. It's a very simple gesture amidst what happens in that chapter, but it just warmed my heart.