Wednesday One Shots for 9/29/10

JaspersDestiny recommends

All Aboard by TKegl

WINNER in the Fun With Your Clothes On Contest! Bella feels like a stalker, watching the hot guy who sits across from her on the train every night. But when she finds out he's watching back, sparks will fly. Riding the rails has never been so fun!

My God, this was so much fun to read! Edward and Bella are university students who share a philosophy class together. They also both share the same train home every night, and after an embarrassing encounter on said train for Bella (knock knock joke FTW!), she begins to stalk Edward from afar, sunglasses and magazine-coverage fully in place.

What she doesn't realize is that Edward, too, is stalking her. They strike up a friendship - thanks to Edward...or else the stalking would have gone on indefinitely, I'm sure - and eventually TKegl gives her reader a wonderfully, deliciously scrumptious dry hump at the end. Who needs full blown sex sans clothes when you can do it with your clothes on? Umph.

But I like this one shot not just because of the dry hump. Oh, no...TKegl's Edward and Bella are awkwardly adorable and hilarious. They bring me back to my *sniff* university days. She captures the perfect blend of young love and attraction...and the build up is just fantastic.

Knock knock!

Who's there?

Ima.

Ima who?

Ima going to put this on my favorites list.

Grammar Girl: FAZE vs PHASE

So I noticed a word the other day while reading a fan fic, and I realized that I've seen this problem before. Again, it's another homophone confusion (isn't it always?).

FAZE VERSUS PHASE

FAZE --> a verb, and it means to cause embarrassment or social distress. More often than not, it is used to indicate that one has NOT been embarrassed or socially distressed, as in "Carlisle is never fazed by the smell of human blood."

PHASE --> can be a noun ~ a regular part of a cycle or progression (a phase of the moon or a phase of one's life), or it can be a verb ~ to make gradual changes. Of course, we Twihards know it best when we refer to the wolves' changing back and forth between their human and wolf forms.

Allow me to illustrate the difference:

Paula and Randy are FAZED by James' performance..James is not FAZED by their reaction:

PHASE

Wednesday One Shots for 09-15-10

JaspersDestiny recommends
Wanting by LeFay

One of our readers recommended I try this one shot out, and I'm glad she did. I had no idea going in who the human male figure would be, but Mike Newton FTW! Poor Mike. He's the puppy dog-eyed senior who will never get the girl of his dreams in SM's saga, but here? Hee hee. Let's just say that when Bella gives him...um..."direction", I could only imagine his eyes bulging out of their sockets and a sound like KAZOOGA at his LUCK!

Now...just because we may feature the various men of Twilight here at ALASL, it doesn't mean that I necessarily have my #TeamMikeNewton pom poms out or that I'm rattling them over my head. I still don't like Mike much because he's just a tad shade LESS severe than Jacob. There is only one fan fic in the world where I adore Mike, and that's Golden Moon by NusiainForks. As a matter of fact, had Jake never been in the picture, something tells me Mike might have been Bella's "personal sun". So, my reaction to Bella's suggestion to Mike in this fic might have looked a little like this:





But that's not the point. The point is that LeFay takes a different spin on New Moon. There are absolutely no mythological creatures available to Miss Bella Swan after Edward's departure. So, Bella has two options after visiting the psychologist's office for the final time - either be referred to a psychiatrist for medication or accept the fact that she is and will always be just a human girl. Cue Mike, ready and oh, so willing.

Go, Mike! If I were you, I too wouldn't have thought twice about taking Bella up on her offer.

And Bella? I like her in this story because she isn't portrayed as some whiny, woe-is-me mess. Is she broken because of Edward's departure? Of course, as any of us would have been - at any age. But she's also realistic and she's a teenager who wants to just be left alone to cope. Her version of coping does not include the medicated route, so she decides on something a little more...tangible.

Go, Bella!

Grammar Girl: Proper Usage of VOLTURI, HOUSTON vs HUSTON

After August 24th's GG segment on pluralized surnames, one of our followers, whisper19, requested that I discuss the proper usage of Volturi in writing. Seeing as how I'm of Italian origin, and seeing as how the Volturi are an integral part of many a Twi-fic, allow me to give you a brief - and EASY - breakdown of plural formation in Italian.

In English, we don't distinguish between masculine and feminine forms, but all nouns actually have this distinction. And you will find that once you know which gender a noun is in one language, it will remain that way in all languages of the same language family (for example, the six most widely spoken Romantic languages - languages that descend from Latin - include Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian, and Catalan).

General Italian nouns that end in -o- are masculine, while Italian nouns that end in -a- are feminine.

PLURAL FORMS OF ITALIAN MASCULINE NOUNS ENDING IN -O (SINGULAR, PLURAL, ENGLISH)

fratello, fratelli, brothers
libro, libri, books
nonno, nonni, grandfathers
ragazzo, ragazzi, boys
vino, vini, wine

PLURAL FORMS OF ITALIAN FEMININE NOUNS ENDING IN -A (SINGULAR, PLURAL, ENGLISH)

casa, case, houses
penna, penne, pens
pizza, pizze, pizzas
ragazza, ragazze, girls
sorella, sorelle, sisters

Now, technically the singular form of Volturi would be Volturo - but I highly doubt one would write, "The Volturo approached languidly from his throne." Ahem.

But you would never do the following in Twi-fic:

"The Volturis are coming." Sweet baby Jesus, Volturi is already plural! Do not - I repeat - do not add an -s- at the end!

VOLTURI is a noun unto itself, and as such should never be altered.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

xTullyx has a special request, too, via Twitter:

@xTullyx @ALASL Jasper is from HOUSTON, Texas. Not HUSTON, Texas. Please and thanks. It's driving me nuts. It's an insult to all us Houstonians... DX

See, peeps - here's HOUSTON:

Wednesday One Shot for 09-01-10

The X-Games by TwistedforTwilight

Congratulations, Deb!
Winner of Most Anticipated Continuation in the Slash Backslash 2.0 Contest!
(no shit...)

Today is the beginning of our Human Month (all human, all the time, yeah!), and for this WOS we're doing something out of the norm. Whereas we usually pick our own favourite one shots, we've decided to post a special review for TwistedforTwilight's The X-Games.

It all started out as a simple email by yours truly to the lovely Lambs, asking them to support my ficmate and her entry to the Slash BackSlash 2.0 contest. I didn't think anything much about it, since the majority of us don't really read slash or AH fics. So imagine my surprise when the lovely (crazy) catonspeed replied with this email:

Please tell me you've all read X games! I read it on the train this morning and i don't know whether to maim, marry, or kill deb right now. But it's fantastic. It's not slash heavy, so don't let that turn you off, because it's beautiful, and it will gut you from them inside in the best of worst ways.

Read it and then i dare you to try tell me you don't like it.

And so the shitstorm of emails began. To date, we have about 170 emails exchanged between us dedicated to this oneshot. No joke. 

Then again, the Lambs were a bunch of mouthy freaks, so no surprise there really. 

Anyway, email exchanges turned to thoughts, and thoughts turned to drabbles.


Yes, we were so moved by the story that we were inspired to write drabbles dedicated to this fic. IdreamofEddy summed it up perfectly:

A fic is good when you're still thinking about it 10 minutes later. I love that, but fuck Edward with a dildo and barb wire.

Honestly, methinks the Lambs were helping me cope because I was being hard on myself for forgetting an important person's birthday. That's how wonderful these people are.


So, back to the main topic. As opposed to reviews, here are some drabbles, rambles, and a short story written by some of us, made with love.

Catonspeed

Happy eyes stare back at me. The golden boy with the golden heart. Hair that falls in heavy curtains across eyes that pierce me inside, deep in places untouched. I can feel his hands grasping, frantic, breath panting across skin damp with sweat, tugging me closer, but still not enough. I’ll never get enough of him. I’ll never be close enough, taste enough, feel enough. I want to reach out and brush that thick hair back and reveal those beautiful eyes. I want to feel that heat.

I close the magazine and stroke the cover.

I’ll never touch him again.

JaspersBella

A Drabble---

X games and x lovers

Edward's POV

The start of the games are soon.

I know he'll be here. I need to see him, need to tell him that I'm sorry, that I never meant to hurt him.  I was forced to betray him. (37)

There he is, sitting under another damn tree with his eyes closed.  He looks even better now than the last time I saw him. (61)

I slowly approach him and whisper, "Jasper,  I'm so sorry. Please forgive me.  I promise, I'll never hurt you again." (81)

His eyes open and he looks through me like I don't even exist. I stand defeated and walk away. (100)

Merina Green

"Jazz man!" Emmett yelled, punching the blond in the arm hard enough to make him wince.  "A gold, man!  Good job!  Beats the hell out of that bronze you got last year."


"Thanks, Em," Jasper said, grinning and rubbing his arm. "Guess my head was just in a better place this year."


"Yeah, I guess it was. All that 'no sex, no booze' before the big day really paid off for you. But tonight, man..."  Emmett grinned and winked.


"You know it," Jasper replied, smiling even wider.


The smile faded a bit, though, when he turned and saw a familiar face topped with bronze hair. 


"Congratulations, Jasper," Edward said softly as he was shoved into Jasper by the crowd jostling to get closer to the gold medalist.


Jasper neatly sidestepped the stumbling boy, allowing him to fall to his knees in the dirt. Glancing down at him, he allowed himself to briefly make eye contact, but no signs of recognition crossed his face. Stepping around him, Jasper kept walking.


"Who was that?" Emmett said, pausing briefly to look back at the figure still kneeling in the dirt.


"No idea.  Some fanboy, I guess.  Come on, let's go home and celebrate."

JaspersDestiny

March 10, 2011
Tampa, FL

EPOV

The last six months have been a living hell. Mom and dad, I’m sure, never thought they would die so young, but if they had known, they would have been sure to leave me with someone other than Uncle Riley. Mom hadn’t spoken to him in years after he had punched my dad one Christmas Eve. But that’s how the system works. And since Riley was my mother’s only next of kin, I’d had no choice but to endure his guardianship. I soon came to understand why he and my father had that fight so many years before. Even though Riley was younger than mom, he had somehow managed the ability to emotionally abuse his older sister every chance he got, and when my father had had enough…well, that was the end of any future reunions for our family.

Apparently the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Like my mom, I had managed to somehow creep under my uncle’s thumb, especially after he found out what a “queer” little nephew his fuck up of a sister had created, and he had taken great pleasure in squishing me whenever he could. I only came to the X Games in July because I had wanted to meet Jasper. I figured I could help Riley out in an attempt to get an autograph out of the most skilled pro competing at the event. I was Jasper’s biggest fan, but I couldn’t tell Riley that. That would have been a mistake. I couldn’t believe my luck when I had managed to sneak away briefly the day before the competition after seeing Jasper chill under that tree. He was beautiful – more beautiful than I could have imagined. And when he invited me to come to his RV that night, I got lost in my own personal fantasy of Jasper and me together years down the road.

My heart soared that night when we made love. I couldn’t believe it was real. I couldn’t believe he was real. But I had no choice but to leave early the next morning when Riley texted me, enraged that I’d disappeared for the night. My dream would just be that – an unfulfilled dream. So I stole a souvenir from Jasper as I snuck out.

Wondering where I’d been, I guess Riley snooped and found Jasper’s boxers while I was in the shower. It was a no brainer to whom those Hollisters belonged – it would have been obvious to anyone who had been at the heats the day before. I felt like a monster sitting in those stands, Riley’s words of hate ringing in one ear, my denial to him ringing in the other. And I watched as Jasper folded, somehow miraculously placing third. I had done that to him. And when he found me after the ceremony, the look in his eyes sliced my heart in a way I didn’t know was possible. I’d never had a backbone. That’s my problem. And I wish to God I had found it that day after Riley threw my souvenir at the man I had fallen in love with.

Instead, I found my backbone two weeks ago the day I turned 21 and inherited my trust fund from my parents. Their life insurance policy, as well as what they had blessedly somehow socked away, had given me the freedom to leave Riley forever. I repaid him with interest and never looked back.

I’m 2200 miles from school, thanks to a free rotation this semester. It’s the eve of the Tampa Pro and I’m standing outside Room 318 of the Quality Inn & Suites on East 18^th Avenue. Knowing where he’d be competing had been an easy task; knowing where he’d be staying had been a different story.

I’m going to tell him I was a coward. I’m going to tell him that I’ve loved him every moment since that shameful day.

And if he forgives me, I’m going to never let him go ever again.

MissMaj

He was alone underneath the tree, eyes closed. He looked so peaceful, so serene.


He was beautiful.


I sat on a bench nearby, never taking my eyes off him. I studied him from afar, memorizing every inch of him, knowing this may be the only time I'll ever get to do so.


How I wished that there would be a chance for he and I to get to know each other - hat there would be a possibility of US in the future.


"It's time," said Uncle Riley.


That wish was tarnished before it even started.


"I'm so sorry," I whispered.

Well done Deb and good luck! 

Same goes to all the other finalists on the SBS2.0 contest.

For the record, we made sure that the voting for the contest was over prior to posting this rec.

Lambs Review Conversations with my Killer by Oracle Vas

Conversations With My Killer by Oracle Vas

To me, life was a heartbeat in time and a breath of air. Jasper showed me it was truth, justice, faith, love, and fear. He dared me to be different. He encouraged me to defy the rules of my world and create my own. And on my last day, he took it all. Jasper/Bella Rated M

JaspersBella

I absolutely love Oracle Vas’ writing, so I was very excited to see that she had started a new story. Just the summary alone was intriguing, especially, "And on my last day, he took it all." I couldn't wait to dive into this story.

I like the fact that Cris took SM's story about what happened at the baseball field with the nomads and made it her own. That's exactly what should have happened, IMHO. I think I shivered when I read that Jasper had a look of pleasure on his face after he destroyed the nomads. I knew then and there that this was going to be good. Edward in this story is his typical overprotective self but he does let Bella spend time with Jasper. Jasper is supposed to be helping Bella adjust to the idea of becoming a vampire. I'm sure that if Edward knew some of what Jasper is teaching Bella, he wouldn't approve at all. 

With Jasper, Bella starts to see her world in a different light. He doesn't sugar coat with her, and he especially doesn't help when she falls. I think the methods that he uses with her are supposed to make her stronger. I think he wants her to be a leader and not a sheep, following others around. 

I can't entirely figure out Jasper and his real motives with Bella. I'm not sure if they are supposed to be mates and he wants her to live up to being HIS mate or if he indeed is playing a game with her, only to kill her in the end. Either way, I'm completely loving Jasper and really starting to enjoy the growing, stronger Bella.

One other thing that I absolutely love is that Cris gives me even more reasons to hate Edward. He really is a douche. 

This story is wonderfully written, very intriguing, and it opens my mind to a new way of thinking about Jasper, Bella, and the whole Cullen Coven. I have enjoyed every bit of it and I can't wait for more.

Thank you, Cris, for sharing this incredible story with us.

  

JaspersDestiny

It wasn’t such a difficult decision to choose Oracle Vas’ Conversations with My Killer as our Group Fic Pic this month. Typically, we all nominate stories individually and then blind poll to get our winner for the month, and to be honest, I can’t remember now which of us sent the email first about CWMK. All I know for certain is that on one of my rare times on Twitter, I saw a tweet run through the masses that Oracle Vas had published the first chapter in what would become a multi-chap Jasper/Bella VAMP fic.

Key word for me - VAMP.

You see, I simply hardly – if ever – read AH, and while Oracle Vas had always come highly recommended to me, there was always another vamp fic available to be read. But when I saw that tweet go out, I flocked – just like everyone else - to see what kind of goodies were in store for us fine readers.

From there began a, “Have you read CWMK?” email spree. We never actually voted this month for GR – we just naturally came to the conclusion that this was the story we would all use for our Jasper-focus – not just because it’s an incredible and incredibly-written story but because it caused and still causes much debate.

Right from Chapter One, Oracle Vas has held my attention. She is a very gifted writer, and I was struck immediately by how different her Bella and Jasper are from a lot of the stories out there. Actually, there are some very fine and original characterizations available to us by some very talented writers, some of whom I know and call friend, so it was just fantastic to read another author whose work is both respected and original.

The first thing that strikes me immediately about Oracle Vas is her writing style – sarcastic, witty, hysterically funny...and most of all, insightful. CWMK takes a different look at Twilight, where the baseball confrontation turns out to be eight shades of different from what we all know to be “true”. In this altered universe, Bella and Edward have just happily moseyed along in their relationship to the point where it is now post-graduation and they, or Edward rather, is planning their wedding. But Bella is at a crossroads, unhappy about her relationship with Edward, and she is questioning her sense of self. She wonders where the real Bella has disappeared to during the course of her relationship, and she is now trying to take a stand to find the girl who used to have tastes, needs, and desires all her own.

Jasper, who is Alice-less in this story (she’s always been out of the picture physically for reasons all her own, and thus Bella has never met her in person), makes Bella think in this story. He questions why she won’t do, say, or think what she’s really feeling. He tips Bella’s axis of the world with his caustic presence, and it is only with Jasper that Bella truly reveals herself. He unhinges Bella and is completely unpredictable. But through Jasper, Oracle Vas makes her readers think too. I personally look forward to each update simply because I want to see Oracle’s spin on life, the universe, and everything in between – and if it means the Mud Prophet brings me this insight...well, you won’t hear any complaints from me. As well, the sheer mystery of Jasper’s presence in the Cullen home – what his role is both there and with Bella – is truly intriguing. I have my own hypothesis, but I’m not sharing.

Now, based on the title of this story, you may wonder, “Um, will this story be angsty? Will there be an HEA? Do I want to read a story that may not turn out ‘well’ in the end?”

The answer?

Yes, you do. And Oracle herself gives us the reason why through a conversation between Jasper and Bella:

With that, the subject was dropped, and his capricious wanderings led him over to my desk. He picked up a book and thumbed through it. "Louisa May Alcott. I am unfamiliar with this one."

A Long Fatal Love Chase. "It wasn't published until over a decade ago."

"May I borrow this after you're done with it?"

I found it interesting how this time he was borrowing, not that I was going to complain. It actually seemed natural to share with him. "Borrow whatever you like. You can take the book now. I've already read it."

Jasper ran a finger over the lettering on the cover. "A title like this tells the whole story, yet people will still read the book. It's a curious thing."

"Not really. I want to know why she ran and why he chased her. I want to know how long she lasted and who died. The title may give a hint to the end, but the path to that ending is what interests me."

The main concern for many who might decide to read CWMK is whether Jasper is…well, just going to kill Bella in the end. But death can mean a human-vamp alteration, too, so the title is definitely open to much speculation.

But even if Jasper does do away with Bella and it’s not an HEA, which I highly doubt, I still want to know how Bella “dies” by the Mud Prophet’s hand, as well as the path to that ending. This is what interests me, and I believe it would – or should – interest you too.

 

Maelyn

One thing I must say for this fic, as well as the author’s other works, is that it gets some people talking.  She is original, imaginative, and always thinks outside the box, which is something that so many readers love about her stories. You can’t not feel something for her fics, whether it be love, hate, excitement, annoyance, frustration, anger, angst, whatever. She takes you in such directions that you always have a reaction of some kind.  And that is why her fics are so talked about.

With this newest story, she takes the canon characters, actions, events, everything and twists them into this original version all her own. Her characters are complex and intriguing and for the most part react as you would expect – imperfectly.  SM’s characters and story were so perfectly lined up sometimes that you could almost see the ruler she used to write it.  But something that I always enjoy is the ‘realness’ of the characters.  They fuck up and make mistakes and sometimes go through the hardest of times, but they tell an amazing story along the way.  This is what makes a great story.

Personally, I have trouble reading this one because I want to bash Bella’s head in.  While I have read all that is out there now, I may wait until it is finished so I can read it all in one go or something.  While it’s great writing, sometimes she pushes it a bit too far for me and I start seeing this whole yo-yo effect happening, like with Bella here. First, she’s whining about Edward and that not everything is perfect but she doesn’t do anything about it. Then when she tries to talk to him, she again lets him off the hook but still continues to whine.  So it drives me nuts waiting for her to grow some balls and stand up for herself, see? 

I guess the beauty of it is that you are learning everything as Bella does and feeling her frustration.  The problem is that I try to put myself in her shoes when I read and I can’t because I keep wondering why she doesn’t just ask certain questions or do certain things, etc. 

So, like I said, you can’t not have a reaction to this fic.  It’s original and crafty and makes you think, definitely – the trip to the pound shows you that in glaring colors.  So I urge everyone to give it a try and see what you think, then tell us!

  

MerinaGreen

Oracle Vas' new story is intriguing, mysterious, erotic, enticing... Oracle, who previously brought us First Love Lost and Last Love Found, two AH J/B fics, is in the process of writing an AU vamp fic for us. Set in SM's world and following SM's “rules”, Oracle's story veers away from Twilight at the baseball field. Actually, it veers a bit before that – Alice is not physically present in this one, having left the family before Bella arrives to pursue....something. And Alice and Jasper were only ever friends. But in general the story is going in the same direction as SM's.

Bella's marriage to Edward is fast approaching, orchestrated with Alice's assistance from a distance. After the wedding comes the Moment of Truth, when Edward will change Bella . Just like in SM's world, in Oracle's world it was a compromise – “Marry me and I'll change you.” Jasper has, for some reason, been 'assigned' to her to help her address issues and answer questions about her upcoming immortality. It's all very strange to Bella and to us the Reader. Everyone behaves very oddly when it comes to Jasper. Case in point – they will be moving from Forks when Bella is changed. Esme is, of course, already planning things for the new house, like...the room arrangements, and she doesn't have Edward and Bella, who will be honeymooners at that point, sharing a room. In fact, she has Bella sharing a suite with Jasper “Because he'll need to be nearby,” Esme explains, to have easy access and to deal with Bella's newborn-ness. Nobody, including Edward, finds this odd. Bella, however, finds it quite odd. In fact, the more she pays attention, the odder she finds ALL of their behavior concerning Jasper. And so do we.

Jasper seems to be taking his role as tutor quite seriously, and he forces Bella to think and to question her decisions – decisions about Edward, decisions about her choice, decisions about EVERYTHING she thinks she knows. It's a fascinating glimpse into vampire life and it makes me think about things I haven't thought of, either. The Mud Prophet is teaching Bella SOMETHING, but we're not quite sure it's what Edward had intended. In fact, I'm pretty sure if he knew what was going on that the “lessons” would end. No, they aren't fooling around behind his back, but Jasper is definitely leading Bella in a direction that will take her away from being Edward's easily-controlled pet. In the process, Bella seems to be starting to have what might be construed as inappropriate feelings for her teacher. And I get the feeling Jasper is starting to have some pretty inappropriate feelings himself. For instance, a grocery shopping trip to the local animal shelter, where Jasper is DETERMINED to force Bella to pick out his next meal, ends up with Bella finally growing a set, and by the end of the scene Jasper is threatening Emmett bodily harm if he even THINKS about touching “our dog”. Now, PART of me thinks – ooohhh, how sweet. But this IS Oracle Vas, so I'm withholding final judgment on THAT situation. I'm not sure the dog won't yet end up as Jasper's dinner, just to prove some sort of point.

The title just about tells us how the story will end...sort of. Maybe. “Killing” can have more than one meaning in the world of SM's vampires, so...I personally have high hopes that its not the sort of “killing” that is, well, of a more permanent nature. But you know what? If she DOES end up being killed dead, I don't think I'll mind. It's all about the journey – as Oracle has Bella remind us, point blank, at one point. And so far, it is one fascinating journey.

MissMaj

One of my favourite J/B authors has once again graced us with a new fic. To say that I was excited when I saw a new story alert from Oracle Vas in my inbox is an understatement.

I remember one of the Lambs saying that a good fic stays in your head hours after you've finished reading it. This is the same for CWMK. True to Oracle Vas' style of writing, this story had me wanting more from the get-go. The more the chapters that were presented, the more the questions that were embedded in my mind. Is it safe to consider this a mystery genre? Not really, but it does makes you think. Honestly, it confuses the HELL out of me, but not to the point where I was so frustrated I wanted to bang my head repeatedly against the wall. It made me want to google for more answers, it made me spam the rest of the lambs so we could discuss it. I am in awe of how Oracle Vas can affect her readers this way. 

I'm in love with Cee Lo Green

Merina Green emailed us this morning a video clip of "Fuck YOU!" by a certain Cee Lo Green. I laughed my ass off at the song, but when I looked Mr Cee Lo up, I found out he was that special half of Gnarls Barkley. Well, colour me stupid. Now I know why his beautiful, beautiful, BEAUTIFUL voice seemed so familiar...

Here are his vids (the last of which is the video for "What Part of Forever", which is on the Eclipse soundtrack).

*bops away to some sweet, sweet music*

If THIS song (and video) doesn't inspire you to write a Twi-fic, I don't know what will:

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?