Sunday Selections for 07-11-10

*waves* Hi! MissMaj here...

I'm taking one for the team for today's SS. It's my penance for sharing with them that fic-that-shall-never-be-discussed. Really, it's their fault, anyway. They've known me long enough to know better than to open any links that I share with them.

Then again, that just proves how much I am loved by these awesome freaks.

Anyway, for today's Sunday Selections, I chose Bourbon and Tea by Zigster .

Being stuck in the middle of something is never fun. Especially when it's the middle of a showdown between a skank and a cowboy on your front lawn. Get a room already, people. JxB Rated M for excessive bourbon consumption. AH/AU

Jasper and Bella are next door neighbours. Jasper is an alcoholic and Bella is pretty much the epitome of a hermit. It begins with an unfortunate incident between Rose (the skank) and Jasper (the cowboy) on Bella's front lawn. That incident starts a very unusual type of friendship between Bella and Jasper. Before they know it, the two are helping each other heal and recover from their past without even realizing how much one means to the other.

They have the most unusual kind of kinship and it perfectly exemplifies how something so little goes a long way. Whereas in some fics where characters are thrown together for just cause, Zigster makes them work together so well, and sometimes I couldn't help but feel sad when one was without the other. Not many words are spoken between the two, but there are simple gestures shared, like Bella leaving sweet tea for Jasper on the front porch, or Jasper watering Bella's garden, even though he really loathes the gnome that sits on her lawn. But amidst all the charm and sweetness, the circumstances surrounding them are melancholy. What's awesome is that the friendship between the two is so strong and amazing that it overshadows the bitterness.

I've been trying to find the perfect word to describe this fic, but I can't. I don't think words can justify what I feel about this story. I'm usually rendered speechless when there's a fic that I truly adore (example: chapter 10 review: *happy sigh* Yeah, I'm lame like that). It does leave a smile on my face every single chapter, and it's a story that will linger in my mind long after I've read the latest update.

The majority of popular fanfics at the moment are about BDSM, slash, or dark themes. Bourbon and Tea is an excellent example that a great fanfiction is not all about the lemon, nor does it have to have graphic content. It's just as beautiful as the many other stories out there. In fact, I think it's way better than most lemon-filled fics out there.