Sunday Selections for 8/22/10

Maelyn recommends

Underneath Your Scars by HammerHips

Story begins after Bella jumps off the cliff in New Moon. Bella's life takes a turn for the worse and she must learn to cope while embarking on a journey of self-discovery. AU and OOC. Jasper/Bella Rated M

Wendy mentioned this fic a little while ago in emails, I think it was, and it sounded interesting. So this past week I came across it again and decided to give it a go. I must say that I was totally hooked within the first few chapters.

The first chapter captured me with the wit and style of the writing. And the second chapter just owned it for me, but I’ll let you read that for yourself because I don’t want to give anything away. Anyone who knows me will understand why I loved it though.

I really love her Bella, who you can actually see growing through the fic. She’s not the simpering little miss from the fics who only comes alive when she can find a way to try to get herself killed. She is REAL, and by real I mean she makes actual real decisions – some good, some bad, but at least they make sense.

Not only that, but after the traumatic event in Chapter Two, she really just snaps and stops taking people’s shit, thanks to a few good men and women. And she doesn’t just lay down and forgive everyone easily like in the books and many of the fics I’ve read. She actually gives them Hell for their mistakes, takes them to task for what they did, and makes them prove they mean what they say rather than just roll over and be all 'Oh, it’s okay.'  So I really love this Bella, who learns to stand up for herself and learn some self-dignity and self-worth.

Jasper is amazing as well. In a lot of ways he starts off as Bella, just doing what he’s told for the most part – how to dress, what to like, how to live. Then as events unfold and secrets start to be revealed, he finds himself. Of course, by helping Bella he helps himself too. As he tells Bella that she is worth it and to stand up for herself, she throws his words back at him. And so the teacher becomes the student of his own preachings.

In addition, the Jasper he grows into is the one we all know and love – the God of War-type persona, as given to us by Kay. He becomes the confident if dominant strategist that I think he should be, based on his past. It’s only his involvement with certain people who have twisted his fate askew. But that’s for you to read and discover on your own.

I absolutely MUST talk about one other person – Peter. Of course Peter! He is just amazingly fuckawesome in this fic. Again, a throwback to Kay’s Peter, but loveable just the same. He is a cocky know-it-all bastard who we absolutely cannot help but fall in love with. He is also real and as down to earth as he can be, but unconditionally loves his family and would do anything for them.

Peter also has some of the best lines in the fic, both inner monologue and dialogue. Here is just a sample from the most recent chapter:

“…I'm gettin' really tired of bein' thrown around, Major. I'm not a fuckin' frisbee! Every time I soar through the motherfuckin' air my balls retract and it takes 'em a good ten minutes to descend…”

With that, I will leave you to run off and read this fic yourself, because I, for one, cannot wait for the next update!

JaspersDestiny recommends

Long Way Down by forthelongestday

When Edward confesses his motivations for leaving Bella she realizes she cannot offer him a second chance. Her insistence for closure is met with the realization that one member of the family has no intentions of leaving her unprotected again. AU

I received this recommendation from one of our followers on Twitter, @xTullyx. Actually, she's been on a roll lately, sending us wonderful recs, so thank you, Tully!

Remember when Bella and Edward come back from Volterra, and Edward confesses to Bella how he had lied to her in the forest before leaving her? Remember how Bella forgives Edward? Remember how you screamed inside, knowing you would have totally reacted differently?

Yeah, THIS Bella does exactly what we wished we all would have done - even you Edward fans out there would agree she took him back too easily...I would hope). Bella is strong in this story, and she expects better - not only for herself, but also for her father, who suffered right along with her in New Moon. Bella makes a stand, and by doing so, she realizes the repercussions of her actions may again lose her the family she so very much longs to be a part of. forthelongestday really thinks through all of Bella's emotions - maybe her own emotions - and crafts an excellent breakdown of exactly why Bella makes such a difficult decision.

Hmm, but Bella is in for a shock at the Cullen house when she breaks the news to them, although Rosalie makes me proud in this story. Some repercussions are harder to digest, but with the help of our beloved Empath, Bella forges forward - and she begins to stand up for herself in a multitude of ways - at school, with Jacob, and even with Jasper.

And I have to say that one of my absolute favourite moments is the one in which Bella and Charlie talk about what happened in Volterra (an altered version, of course), as well as what transpired between Bella and Edward after coming home. Charlie is stunned a bit speechless - and when I write that Bella is strong in this story, I mean that she's so strong, even Charlie is left staring at her with awe. Oh, and another thing - when I write that Bella is strong, I mean that she's strong without turning into a trucker-talking, ass-kicking piece of trash (you have no idea how much I hate that kind of Bella).

Jasper... I love him to pieces in this story. Without the Cullens around, Jasper - who I suspect has always been strong in this story (ie including the back story) - sheds his previous image and unleashes his natural self. He's protective, he's loving, and he's a good friend to Bella. Their romantic relationship is going to be a slow burn in this story - we're only at Chapter 3 here - but we are treated to some beautiful moments, moments that place you in the scene with the characters, and you swear if you close your eyes, you can imagine Jasper doing those things to you:

I felt the weight of Jasper's forehead against the back of my head, and he breathed words into my hair, "I think she's afraid it would be too painful."

"What's painful is not talking to her." I closed my eyes and leaned my head back into his a little. The contact was nice, soothing. It helped to manage the pain that echoed just beneath the surface every time I thought of any of them. I had tried so hard to be okay, to not allow the events that took place last Wednesday bring me down, but it was just so much. I had come to terms with what happened after my birthday, but more recent events were harder for me to accept.

"For her, Bella...I think she's afraid it would be too painful for her if she called you."

I was being selfish, thinking I was the only one hurting. I really should call her, call Emmett, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. There was still a part of me that thought that they could have stayed, they should have stayed. Jasper did.

"It's okay to miss her, to miss them," he told me as understanding flowed out from his fingertips. "And it's okay to be angry with them, too. You don't need to feel guilty about these things."

"I can't help it. I basically told them to leave, I let them go. I have no right to be upset about it," my voice wavered and I forced a sob back. "I shouldn't be mad at them for staying with their family." I said the words even though I didn't believe them, they were just lies I told myself late at night to try and silence the hurt and anger that boiled inside me as I tried to sleep.

"You are their family too," Jasper countered. "We were all thrust between a rock and a hard place, there was no right answer that night, and I'll never stop trying to make that up to you."

The guilt he projected into me was so strong that if I hadn't had my hands braced on the counter top I would have slid to the floor. He couldn't possibly still hold himself accountable for what happened, he'd done nothing wrong.

"Don't," I said, my voice stronger that I thought I was capable of at the moment. "If I don't get to feel guilty neither do you."

Jasper propped his chin on top of my head, taking a moment to deliberate before replying, "I will never stop feeling guilty for what we've done to you, for what I've done to you—but you're right, this last time, that one's on Edward."

I reached up to lay my hands over his and squeezed tight. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Read this story now! Get into it and enjoy the journey! forthelongestday told me she has a lot of it already written, and she updates weekly so far, so it's definitely something wonderful to look forward to on a regular basis.

A little bit of Jasper gifted in your inbox each week is a beautiful thing, is it not?