Category Archives: FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

April 6, 2010

Dead Confederates — FF Recs by @KStew411

By Amber

Thinking about my rec this week got me curious and I did a little math (with a calculator, so it’s reasonably accurate!). Including today’s rec, I have recommended less than one third of my favorites list. I have rec’ed fifty-one stories to date, and that’s *less than one-third* of my favorites list. Which means I have over 150 stories favorited. And for everyone one story I favorite, there are probably a half dozen that I don’t. So I feel secure in saying I have read A LOT of fanfic in the last ten months. A while back I rec’ed the fantastic “Wide Awake”, that gateway drug that gets so many of us hooked on fanfic. I rec’ed it alone because I didn’t want to worry about any other story while writing about one I love so much. And today, for only the second time, a story has my sole, undivided attention. Today we’re going to talk about “Dead Confederates” by goldenmeadow. And I’m going to begin by saying this:

“Dead Confederates” is the best fanfic I’ve ever read.

Hear me out. (Bestie, hold off on the MotU defense, it isn’t necessary.) Last week, I ran down some of my favorite fics. I stand by what I said last week. I love these stories. I read and re-read them, think about them, discuss them and text with Bestie until my thumbs are numb. I’ve made a strong statement today, and I want to make it clear that it doesn’t mean I like any fic I’ve rec’ed less, it just means I’ve reorganized how I categorize my fics. I have two categories of favorite fics: best all human and best canon/alternate universe. The really good AH stories are the ones that make me think, “Change the names, and this could be a book.” The great canon/AU stories are the ones that have destroyed my ability to read the real Twilight. But I never found a story that combines the best of these qualities, until “Dead Confederates”. It is the perfect blend of source material and original ideas; it also perfectly balances humor and drama, and plot and lemons.

“Dead Confederates” tells the story of Eddie Cullen, a good ole boy from low country South Carolina. He’s a foul-mouthed redneck with shitkicking boots and permanent hard-on. And he’s a vampire. Eddie (don’t call him Edward, he won’t appreciate it) is on the Volturi’s most-wanted list thanks to his mind-reading abilities, and after years of hiding out in England, he was found and captured by Chelsea. Carlisle bargains with Aro to get him back, and once reunited with the Cullens, they flee to America and settle in “South Cackalakee” to hide. Forget being upper-crusty people of quality. The Cullens have gone to ground–literally. Carlisle the doctor becomes Carl the vet, Emmett is better known as monster-truck driving Bubba, and Jasper is called Junior, a free-loving hippie who deals with his troubled past by having a lot of sex with basically anything that moves. Maw Esme smacks her boys with impunity, does their laundry, threatens to wash their mouths out with lye soap, and buys her paper goods in bulk at Costco. When the story begins, Alice and Rosalie haven’t joined the Cullens, but Emmett is pursuing Rose, a vampire who lived in town before the Cullens’ arrival and works as a waitress at the local diner.

As for Alice…well she’s something else in this story. Edward alludes to her pending arrival early on, and when she does finally show up, she is not what you expect. She’s a precognitive vampire, sure, but she’s also a kleptomaniac. Her relationship with Eddie is combative, prickly, sometimes downright mean, and only rarely friendly. This is not an Alice and Edward who work seamlessly together to protect the family. Alice has come for Jasper, but also because she is getting glimpses of the showdown between the Volturi and the Cullens. And Eddie, hot headed and quick tempered, is always harping on her to reveal what she knows. She won’t. Alice is cagey and her trustworthiness is questionable.

And then there’s Eddie and Bella. When the story opens, Eddie is pining for Bella from afar. He’s the town’s hell-raising bad boy, expelled from school and up to no good. Bella is new in town, living with Charlie and waitressing alongside Rose. Poor Eddie is plagued with want. He’s profane and earthy and as he is the sole narrator of the story, you will hear a lot about how bad he needs to jack off because of Bella. This story is super, super lemony (even if most of it is of the self-abuse variety). It’s up there with Clipped Wings & Inked Armor in terms of graphicness of language, so it’s not for the faint of heart, but damn, is it funny. And Bella is sexy, sassy, strong, and a terrific potty-mouth in her own right. They play off each other beautifully, trading quips and dirty talk. Edward is coasting along, enjoying the freedom of this new hillbilly life, and Bella forces him to start feeling again and dealing with reality. She’s as earthy as Eddie, his match in every way, except the most basic physical difference of vampire and human. And even then, Bella won’t be intimidated. Also, Jacob and the wolves are in this story as the Cajun “loup-garou”, and Bella is aware of her friend’s true nature long before Eddie reveals his.

“Dead Confederates” is funny and lemony and there is so much to love about it. Emmett the hypochondriac, Carl getting baked with his pseudo-brood and sniffing junk food, Esme’s predilection for Ziploc bags and Alice’s sticky fingers. It’s funny, with quick repartee (I imagine Eddie as a fast talker) and witty one liners and a penchant for alliteration. But there’s an undercurrent of mystery and drama–the Volturi hounding the Cullens around the world for Edward’s talent. The nature of Carlisle and Aro’s bargain for Edward’s release. Alice’s visions of the future that she won’t reveal. Bella’s role with the Cullens, and her part in their future. It’s like having a two-tiered story. On one level, it’s a light, funny, sexy story about a wild Southern boy wooing a sassy babe. He has a crazy family; she has a gun-toting dad. Laughs all around. On another level, it’s a dark, mysterious story about a strong-willed family standing against a bigger, evil foe and the girl who holds the key to their battle. And it’s the best example of source material and original ideas combined I have found yet.

“Dead Confederates” is at the must-read level. And once you’ve read it, check out the companion “Rebelward Without a Cause”, a series of outtakes and sideshots that shed some light on the other characters and certain events in “Dead Confederates”.

Damn. I got to add another story to my must read list. And I was doing SO good reading real books. Oh well. Wondering where all those recs are? They are all right here, ready for you to bookmark! Go, go now!

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March 30, 2010

These fics are owning me — FF Recs by @KStew411

By Amber

A lot of people ask what my favorite fics are, and that’s impossible for me to answer. I wouldn’t be reading a story if I didn’t like it, and I wouldn’t be rec’ing it if I didn’t REALLY like it. So to an extent, they’re all my favorite. That said, I do have some fics which are more favoritier than others.  Some of my earliest fics have completed or are almost complete, stories like Carpe Noctem & Fiat Lux, The Rain Season, and Bare. There are stories I love which don’t update regularly, like Elemental, The Woods Are Lovely, Dark and Deep, and Edward Wallbanger. And then there are stories I fall in love with and the minute I recommend them it seems like they stop updating, like Bright Like the Sun, Burn and Shine, Bella Swan: Zombie Killer, and Caravaggio. That’s frustrating. Then there are the beastly big fics I read and re-read and will love forever and insist everyone else read, too, like Wide Awake and Tropic of Virgo. I have my canon loves which have destroyed my ability to read the real Twilight: La Canzone della Bella Cigna and Last Rites–I drop everything when they update. I think right now my two biggest flip-out fics are MotU and University of Edward Masen. Fuck whatever I’m doing when MotU updates–I will run for the nearest quiet place to read. And I actually do have my alarm set early on Saturday mornings to get my UoEM fix. That said, the fics that are killing me right now with their awesomeness are The Gentleman from Washington State (aka Senator Cullen and tops for UST), The Unaccompanied Soul (everyone must read this), and Eye Contact (so unusual and lovely). Of course, I am always looking for new fics and lately I’ve been completely obsessed with…

“Guardian” by ChampagneAnyone

I don’t think I’m scary but my email inbox is full of messages from people saying, “I was too afraid to tweet you”, or “so-and-so was too nervous to write you so I am passing on this message”. Will it help if I assure you I don’t actually survive on the blood of innocents? Anyway, it was nice when Ally (aka ChampagneAnyone) emailed me herself to ask me to read her story. That was a few weeks ago, and I can safely say I am now thoroughly hooked on “Guardian”. When Bella Swan’s parents are brutally murdered when she is eight, family friends and business partners in Cullen-Swan Law, the Cullens take in orphaned Bella. Of course she takes to the older Edward, and things are fine until she grows up. This is an angsty story–not the worst angst I’ve ever read but it’s up there. The prologue sets up a situation in which you know Edward and Bella won’t have an easy road ahead of them. The age difference is key here, because though Bella realizes her feelings for Edward, she does not have the maturity to understand his motivations. She’s sensitive and young and Edward is not quite as careful as he should be with her, physically or emotionally. But on the flipside, though you will want to kick Edward in the shins a couple times, Edward isn’t totally bad, he just hasn’t acknowledged his feelings (to himself or anyone else) and so he acts kind of cluelessly. But Bella’s rash reactions and thought process kind of just sets up more misunderstandings and angst. This is a jealous Edward (Jealousward!) and Bella’s pushing him to deal with his feelings. They have friction in their professional relationship, too, as Carlisle and Edward have constructed a merger for Cullen-Swan that definitely puts Bella on the short end of the stick. Enter the lawyer Bella hires to represent her in the merger, Demetri. I didn’t picture him as any sort of potential rival for Edward, but then Ally showed me this: “Demetri”, and now the game has changed. Jealousward indeed. This is a great story, relatively new but a regular Sunday updater. It’s filling the angst/UST void CWIA left in my life.

More after the jump… Continue reading

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March 23, 2010

Totally forgot about the fanfic recs this week — FF Recs by @KStew411

By Amber

So there’s no snappy opening. Sorry. Spent my day making plans. What?! Plans, you say? You’ll see. J

“A Chance Encounter” by erinbatt

No, I am not rec’ing this story just because I’m e-friends with Erin. In fact, her story has been unfairly pushed back several times simply because I didn’t want to treat it special or anything, so…sorry about that, Erin. But, at long last, here it is, “A Chance Encounter”. You all know I’m pretty harsh on alternate universe stories. You have to bring something really fresh to the table to hold my interest. ACE delivers, especially in its characters. It’s a spinoff of New Moon in which Laurent couldn’t quite control himself in the meadow and the wolves were a smidge too late, but not *too* too late. Jacob carries the bitten Bella off, she changes into a vampire and is essentially abandoned, left in her new life all alone. And of course, being Bella, she really believed Edward in the forest, so she doesn’t search for the Cullens. Instead she takes up the life of a nomad, and nearly fifty years later, she has, well…a chance encounter. I think you can see the basic plot, yes? Bella’s shield has some intriguing properties which allow her a unique perspective on Edward. When she learns that he had a relationship with Tanya after he left her in Forks, Bella flips out, justly calls out the Cullens for abandoning her and allowing Edward to abandon her, and then she runs. And so begins the action. Edward still can’t hear her mind, so he has to try tracking her, and we all know Edward isn’t much of a tracker. So he turns to the Volturi for help, and here the story really gets interesting. Of course Aro is interested in Bella for her gifts, but it’s Demetri that really sticks out. This is a great Demetri. In turns frustrating, helpful and heartbreaking, the tenuous friendship that grows between he and Edward is actually more interesting than Edward and Bella at this point. I’m cheering as hard for Demetri to find some happiness as I am for Edward to find Bella. Also, ACE has one of the greatest AU original characters I’ve ever seen in Lethia, a nomad in the Brazilian rainforest with a scary and powerful gift. She only comes in for one chapter but geez is she effective. Forget Jane. Lethia is easily the most frightening vampire in the Twilight universe. Between Edward chasing Bella all over the world, determined to beg for forgiveness, and Demetri and Lethia, ACE is an intriguing and inventive AU, well worth a read.

“Angel Eyes” by RaeCullen

This is one of those stories that had been popping up in my searches for new fics for a while and then one day I caved and read it. And when I told Bestie about it she went, “Really?” and I said, “Yes, really.” “Angel Eyes” is the story of typical college guy Edward falling for a not so typical Bella. Popular frat boy Edward hears a laugh in a coffee shop and is captivated by the pretty girl it belongs to, but he doesn’t introduce himself. Then he sees her in the park one day, and he begins keeping an eye out for the pretty girl with the melodic laugh. He notices her talking to his frat brother, Emmett, so of course he asks Emmett for an introduction. Emmett totally shuts him down. Despite Emmett’s warnings, Edward approaches her one day in the park, and that’s when he realizes that Bella is blind. This is a pretty light-hearted story, but it deals with the issue of blindness in a realistic way. Bella has been overprotected her whole life, but she is capable of living her own life. Her conflicts with Emmett are exactly the sort of things you would expect an older brother to do for and about a younger sister he sees as unbearably vulnerable. And Edward’s initial reaction is probably pretty typical too–he’s shocked and unsure if he wants a relationship with a “blind girl”. But of course, it’s Bella, so he pursues her anyway. His thoughts on their first date are interesting. He goes from mildly embarrassed that Bella uses her cane to angry that everyone stares at her to annoyed to realize even if she wasn’t blind they’d stare anyway because she’s beautiful. Overall this is a sweet story with no heavy angst, but Edward does have a prickly relationship with an overbearing Carlisle, so the potential for drama exists. Also, there’s much allusion to some kind of incident during Edward’s freshman year–the reason Carlisle is so controlling now. Edward is probably right to be nervous about introducing Bella to Carlisle–he seems like the kind of psycho-planning father who has his son’s wife all picked out. “Angel Eyes” is right at the cusp of the interesting stuff happening, so get caught up and give RaeCullen some love for this sweet, endearing story.

Even more FF goodies over on KStew411′s page! Seriously, there are some AMAZING ones in that list you can’t miss!

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March 16, 2010

The thing about the Twilight books — FF Recs by @KStew411

By Amber

It came up today because I was totes hating on Breaking Dawn–don’t you like the Twilight books? The answer is yes and no. No, I don’t think they’re revolutionary literature. There were some problems, for the sake of not writing a dissertation I’ll stick with this: there were grammatical errors. These are professionally published books going out on the mass market and there were glaring grammatical issues in every single volume. That’s just Mickey Mouse. And people can talk about “themes” and “subtext” all they want–these books are pretty shallow. If you start looking for literary value, you’re going to get a headache, and frankly, you’ll probably ruin your ability to enjoy the books. Because yes, I find them perfectly enjoyable. The Saga is great fluff reading. The rom-com of books. Entertaining, in turns romantic, suspenseful, mysterious, funny. I liked reading them. They’re campy and twee and good for beaches and airplanes or under the covers on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It’s a pure-pleasure read, and there’s nothing wrong with that. All that aside, I did not like Breaking Dawn at all. It felt like such a copout. Breaking Dawn is a giant anti-climactic talk-off. Aro and Edward just blab at each other for a couple hours and everyone goes their separate ways, no loss, no price, no suffering. Jacob even has his creepy-baby-crush to help him get over Bella. I would have liked Breaking Dawn if everything didn’t work out quite so neatly. It just felt like the whole series had been building to this epic battle of Cullen vs. Volturi and we got…just the tip. No wonder we all want Midnight Sun so badly–Breaking Dawn left us unfulfilled.

PS: Both these stories are COMPLETE. :)

“The Lost Boys” by hwimsey

One of my all-time favorite fanfic Edwards. He’s sexy, he’s British, he’s a musician–sounds familiar, no? I think he borrows pretty heavily from Rob Pattinson–he plays blues-tinged music and wears a black beanie–but it all works, so I’m not complaining. “The Lost Boys” centers around an old Victorian in San Francisco occupied by Bella Swan and her friends, Rosalie and Alice. Bella is just back from a year abroad in London where she fell in love with a musician she never met, but she would listen to him play the pubs around town. Little does she know that the musician, Edward Cullen, has followed her to San Francisco, searching for the elusive muse he only glimpsed in the shadows. Edward is the front man for the indie/blues band The Lost Boys, also featuring his buddies Emmett and Jasper. This story takes the cake for romance, drama, and mystery. Edward and company end up moving into the other flat in the Victorian with Bella, and while Rose and Emmett, and Alice and Jasper, fall easily into romance, Edward and Bella predictably do not. Bella is shy, insecure, unsure of her own worth and ability to captivate a dynamic, beautiful man like Edward. And Edward is plagued by his own demons, including a battle with the remnants of a nervous breakdown. They’re attracted, of course. But Bella’s insecurities and Edward’s issues keep coming between them. The story isn’t all angst, though, not by a long shot. There’s plenty of humor–the use of the Volturi is the best out-of-character/all-human treatment I have seen. I was dying of laughter every time they popped up. And there’s a really good ghost story to boot. As I am a Dashiell Hammett fan, I loved the use of Nick and Nora Charles as ghosts who haunt the Victorian the characters live in. Edward and Bella must embark on a quest to reunite the undead lovers in the afterlife and so seal their own fate together on earth. “The Lost Boys” also features some of the best lemons around. This is a sexy, sexy Edward. He was schooled in the arts, shall we say, by a Parisian mistress! In turns sexy, sweet, hilarious, and frightening, “The Lost Boys” truly has something for everyone.

There is another one, right after the jump! Continue reading

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March 9, 2010

Let’s try this again — FF Recs by @KStew411

By Amber

First draft of fanfic rec’s somehow turned into a piece for the Twilight Examiner. Giving this another shot. I studied writing in college and my professors were always irked with my tendency to go on tangents (coincidentally, one of my former professors is a writer famous for his tangential style—double standard?). It’s true. I go off. I think it’s what made me a decent stand-up and good for Twitter. It’s pretty extemporaneous and that’s what I’m good at. If I have to plan…well, we all know I’m not good at planning. Off the cuff, that’s the thing! I know I am KStew411 and all, and I know sometimes I am hard on The Sparkly One, but since this is a Roblog and I am having extemporaneous thoughts, I will share them. ROB LOOKS HOT IN PERIOD CLOTHES. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look better than in these recent Bel Ami pics. Previously, I thought his Edward pretty was his best pretty, but now I think, even with the wee bit of poundage he added, that the Bel Ami pretty is the best. He looks grown up. And sexy. I have an ongoing discussion about Rob’s ability to sex me up. I am usually distracted from his sexy by my desire to iron his shirts and fold his clothes. But in the Bel Ami clothes…he’s walking different. He’s standing different. The head, it is tilted at a new and rakish angle. And some of this is probably character-driven, but I LIKE IT. I feel like Bel Ami Rob could pin me to a wall and make me want it bad. For once, I don’t want to do his laundry, I want to do HIM. There’s a virile streak in The Sparkly One I haven’t seen before and I want more of it. Preferably, in period dress.

“Eye Contact” by Silver Sniper of Night

This is a different story, recommended by PunkyBellyJelly. Bella is a twenty-year-old college student working on a degree in special education. Edward is a twenty-year-old genius already pursuing his master’s in mechanical engineering. Except Edward is also autistic. Or, more specifically, he has Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a form of Autism. This story is a lot to digest. The author does a great job annotating chapters with terms and articles that explain the specifics of Asperger’s, but what it boils down to is that Edward doesn’t feel emotions like everyone else. So how can he and Bella be in love? Well that’s the crux of the story. I have a cousin with Asperger’s and Sniper completely nails the way an “Aspie” thinks and speaks. Edward is not dumb, he’s not slow, he’s not retarded in any way. In many, many ways, Edward is a million times more intelligent than everyone else. But Asperger’s affects how one processes emotions. It’s not that Edward doesn’t feel, it’s not that he isn’t sincerely in love with Bella. It’s just that he will never experience those feelings in the way the Bella does. For Edward, everything is logical. Because he likes how Bella makes him feel, because he admires her intellect and her taste in music—as well as her smile—it is logical that he wants her for his girlfriend. And then because he misses her when she is not present and because he wants to spend more time with her, it is logical that he loves her. It’s all there; he just arrives at the conclusion a bit differently. As for Bella, she is aware of the basic difference in understanding between her and Edward, and she is aware of and nervous about how that will be taken by the outside world. A lot of people mistakenly think those afflicted with Asperger’s, or any form of autism, can’t feel emotions, but that’s not the case. They do feel, and in many ways are super sensitive to emotions. They just don’t always understand them. My cousin, for instance, can’t lie. He literally cannot lie. He doesn’t understand dishonesty or why anyone would ever tell anything but the truth. Even the concept of telling a white lie to protect someone’s feelings is beyond him. Like Edward, my cousin has assigned all feelings with a number to process how they will affect someone. Happiness is a 1, sadness is an 8, anger is a 10, and rage is 11. He understands the numbers and that helps him understand people’s reactions. Edward processes in much the same way. Edward is essentially a high-functioning Aspie. He can drive, take care of himself, cook, do all the things he would need to do to function in the real world. However, Esme has sheltered him his entire life and Edward is really lacking in socializing skills. Enter Bella to help him learn how to interact with his peers. This is a fascinating story, an unusual and complex love story, and a challenging read. I have enjoyed it for its unique perspective on love and how we define one of the most mysterious and indefinable of all the human emotions. Maybe not for everyone, but if you’re up to the challenge, give “Eye Contact” a shot.

Another rec, after the jump… Continue reading

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March 2, 2010

I Declare This Love On A Ficster Day — FF Recs from @KStew411

By Amber

I had a whole plan for how I was rec’ing stories for the week, but then I found a new fic and fell in love with it and there went my plan. See? This is why I shouldn’t make plans. The second I decide to do something, inevitably something else happens to throw me off course. I really need to stop trying to plan how I do this. I never stick to it anyway.

I have a quick request to make of my fellow fic readers. A lot of stories have moved, are moving, or are about to move to alternate fanfic sites like Twilighted. I know Twilighted is not the easiest site to use; however, I would like to ask that we not bother the ficsters about our problems with that website. If you’re having issues with Twilighted, they have a FAQ section and a “contact us” feature. Please use them, instead of bugging the ficsters about why you can’t log on or access their new chapter. They don’t know, and they won’t be able to help you. They don’t get paid to write these stories, and increasingly, they’re dealing with a lot of headaches getting their work out to us. I would love it if we could all take a moment today and tweet our favorite ficsters to let them know we’re still reading, reviewing, and supporting them and their stories, despite the current issues going on.

“The Unaccompanied Soul” by JMCullen09

I flipped the fuck out after reading this story. I was browsing through my latest fic search, saw this interesting title with its dark banner and mysterious summary and decided to give it a go. Lately new fics have either been striking me as awesome or horrible, so I wasn’t sure how this one would play out. I read it. I sat and stared into space for ten minutes after finishing it. Then I read it again. Then I flipped the fuck out. I usually hesitate to recommend a story with less than 10 chapters, but I can’t wait on this one. I’m currently on my third read-through and am pulling it apart, looking for clues and foreshadowing. The plot is built largely on a mystery, so pardon the vague summary. Bella and Alice, on the cusp of heading off to college, get invited to hang out with Rosalie and Jasper Hale and the cool kids one Friday night. Despite Bella’s misgivings, they head to an abandoned mental hospital (I can’t help but envision The Frighteners set) to check out if the local rumors of a haunting are true. Bella gets separated from the group and hits her head and then… Well. I can already tell we’re not going to like learning about Edward, so let’s put an ANGST/ABUSE warning on this story. That said, the treatment of everything from the mental hospital to Edward has been amazingly sensitive and respectful, so I don’t think this will be a blood and guts story. But it will be angsty, and it will be difficult. But it’s also beautiful. The thing with Edward and Lancelot–I was kind of choked up for real reading it. Not once but twice! It’s such a small thing but the care in detailing it makes it everything. I am picking this story apart obsessively because I know there are little things already that will become big deals down the road. I really can’t emphasize enough how much you all need to be reading this fic. It’s special.

Another fic, after the jump! Continue reading

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February 23, 2010

Are you watching the Olympics? I’m watching the Olympics — FF Recs by @KStew411

By Amber

I love any international competition. It’s almost as fun watching the fans in the stands as it watching the actual event. I find myself cheering for The Netherlands a lot just because they’re fans are so into it. There are some things about the Olympics that bug me, though. For instance, curling is on every time I turn on the Olympics. Always curling. How long does it take to get through curling? Many events are completed in a couple days, yet curling has been taking place since last year apparently. And if curling is in the winter games, then shuffleboard should be in the summer games. It’s the same thing. All of the downhill skiing events look the same to me. I flip it on and Bob Costas says, “Now we go to Whistler for the Men’s Alpine Downhill Skiing,” and then the guys go downhill, and the next time I put on skiing, Bob Costas says, “And now back to Whistler for Men’s Super G Downhill Skiing,” and it’s the SAME men, on the SAME course, with the SAME skis. What is the difference? I have been watching skiing obsessively, trying to understand the difference between Alpine, Super G, Slalom, and Super Combined. But it all looks THE SAME.

“The Gentleman from Washington State” by Betty Smith

We’ve got a little theme this week. Both stories came from the authors recommending them to me. It’s really rare–I can count on one hand how many ficsters have sent me their own stories. But I got a very nice email from Betty a couple weeks ago along with a link to her story, so I read it. And I fell in love. Lately I’ve been a bit off the angsty stories, but have been adding a lot of UST (unresolved sexual tension) to my fic caddy. “The Gentleman” is arguably one of the UST-iest stories you’ll ever find. It’s about Edward Cullen, a young senator who has taken over his father Carlisle’s senate seat after Carlisle’s death (sad–dead Carlisle). Edward is in a heated campaign with conservative challenger Jacob Black. Edward is a playboy (read: total manwhore), and he has a brand new batch of office interns, including one Bella Swan. Bella is a college senior who is completing her senior year at Georgetown. Of course Edward is attracted to Bella, but therein lies the rub. He is the senator. He is ten years older than her. He is a playboy in a tight race with a conservative opponent who is married with a happy homemaker wife. He cannot touch Bella Swan. UST! As for Bella, she is shy, kind, sharp as a tack, and attracting men left and right, even if she doesn’t seem to notice it. There’s Edward of course, her hot boss about whom she has sexytime dreams, and then Jacob, who she tried to date but broke up with when he wanted her to quit college and marry him. Jacob is a real prick in this story–you’ll want to punch him the junk. Points to Betty for making a Jacob we love to hate. And there’s Mike Newton, here a Senate aide who is a former college basketball star. Mike isn’t half bad–Betty has given him some depth and interest, making him more than just a cardboard cutout jerk/dweeb/pest, as Mike Newton usually is. This fic is a bit OOC, and has non-canon pairings in the beginning. Edward has private affairs with a number of women, Bella is currently getting her jollies with Mike Newton, which is a little discomfiting, but Betty counsels us to be patient as Bella really doesn’t think Edward is into her yet. She’s pursuing what she believes to be the realistic option over pining for a fantasy. Makes me wish Edward would pull his head out of his ass and get a move on. But that’s the central tension of the story. Edward isn’t just Edward–he’s Senator Cullen. He really can’t afford a scandal. He’s already got one skeleton in his closet–his brother Emmett is back home in Washington, keeping a low profile after some sort of incident that Charlie Swan apparently helped keep under wraps. And Jacob lurks, knowing Bella (whom Jacob clearly still has feelings for, despite his marriage) is in Edward’s office, and knowing Edward’s reputation as a ladies’ man. Drama! If you love UST, this story is for you.

Another fic rec, after the jump! Continue reading

4 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

February 16, 2010

We interrupt your regularly scheduled fanfic recs for this important announcement from @KStew411

By Amber

Don’t Panic.

I am a casual reader of fic, if a voracious one. Yes, I read a lot–way, way more than I will ever rec. And yes, I will tweet about various fics, and enjoy trading recs with followers. But I don’t leave reviews, I don’t post on forums, I don’t participate in fanfic communities, and I don’t read many of the fic blogs, beyond checking recs from The Lazy Yet Discerning Ficster. Confession: I haven’t read any ficster interviews, and I don’t read reviews on the fanfiction sites. There’s this whole world of daily interaction in fanfic that I am far too lazy to participate in.

So when I wake up one morning and boot up the ole 411, it is a shock to me to see that a fanfic has disappeared or been moved in the night. Many people see these things coming because they pay attention, but I don’t pay attention, so I am often surprised.

There have been a few instances where this has happened for various reasons. “Wide Awake” had problems with fanfiction.net (FFN), so AngstGoddess003 moved it onto her Livejournal, but that happened long before I read WA. The very popular “Boycotts and Barflies” was pulled so that it could be published as an e-book by Omnific (a spinoff of Twilighted). One of my favorite Darkward stories, “The Boy by the Window”, was pulled after some kind of behind-the-scenes girl drama between the co-authors. Some fics, like “The Office” by tby789, are pulled for personal reasons, or so the author can edit. And many fics, even popular ones, simply die because the author becomes too busy to continue, or loses interest. It’s important to remember that ficsters don’t get paid for this, and many of them are college/grad students or women with families and jobs, who do this in their spare time. Sometimes real life interferes and it’s enough to kill a fic.

However, lately, there has been a darker turn in the reasons behind fanfics being pulled. A turn that has created some panic and anxiety in the fandom. I’ll admit to falling victim to it when I heard “Emancipation Proclamation” had been pulled suddenly from FFN. But I have spent the intervening week doing a lot of computery research and talking with a variety of people involved in this issue, and what I have found is infuriating.

Keep reading, after the jump… Continue reading

26 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

February 9, 2010

Waffles or pancakes? — FF Recs by @KStew411

By Amber

It’s the eternal question. Which do you eat? It’s redundant to eat both waffles and pancakes at the same time. They’re basically the same thing, after all. I feel like there’s something to be said about one’s character depending on which one chooses, but really I was thinking about this when I saw someone order both waffles and pancakes at breakfast the other day. It drove me crazy the whole time I was at the restaurant, watching this guy eat both a stack of pancakes and a Belgian waffle. You should all know by now that I’m a judgy bitch, so of course I was judging the dude with the waffle and the pancakes. After watching him work his way through two piles of buttermilk batter, I realized that this guy is a genius. Because what is the problem always encountered in an IHOP? Too much syrup. They give you that tray of flavored syrup and you can never use them all, you always have to choose between strawberry and boysenberry. But this guy solved that problem–just order both pancakes *and* waffles and you can use both. As for me, I’m a French toast and lingonberry girl–judge away.

“Psychotic SuperPowered Vampirism” by Pastiche Pen

This story was rec’ed by BrookeLockart. We have our disagreements, but I like BroLo’s taste in fics. I think this is crackfic. I don’t really know, as I don’t read any crackfic (not for any reason other than I haven’t gotten there yet, but I can feel a crackfic binge coming on…), but I’m going to call it crackfic. Why? Because this story is INSANE. And why aren’t you all reading it? I was shocked to see this fic has less than 500 reviews. You might recognize Pastiche Pen as the beta for many top fics, and she is also one of the admins of my personal fic dealer, The Lazy Yet Discerning Ficster. PSPV is a nutty New Moon AU in which Bella goes batshit insane after Edward leaves. She also discovers that she can become invisible, as her newfound crazy has given her a superpower. Alice disobeys Edward’s edict to leave Bella alone and keeps watching Bella, advising Charlie on how to keep her spirits up, as well as purging his wardrobe. Bella takes to drinking blood (I am telling you, this story is CRAZY), which saves her when she encounters Laurent in the meadow. They sit down to drink Bella’s blood supply and commiserate over lost loves. They also begin planning Bella’s revenge on Edward which somehow involves moving to the islands. The POV ranges through Bella, Jacob, Jasper, and I suspect EPOV will come up when it’s time. It also goes through several formats, including texts, emails and phone calls. Don’t worry–it’s easy to keep track and it is so funny. Like so, so funny. I laughed the entire time I was reading it, and it’s one I have reread since, when I need a pick me up. This story is an infrequent updater, but it’s well worth the wait. Edward’s return is imminent and I can’t stress enough that every single one of you needs to be reading this story by the time that happens.

There is more… after the jump! Continue reading

11 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

February 2, 2010

I always forget to do these things until the last second — FF Recs by @KStew411

By Amber

It’s terrible. Poor Amber, always having to put up with my late submissions. I need an alarm to go off at like noon on Mondays to remind me to start my rec’s for the week before it’s too late on Monday night. Note to self–set fanfic alarm. I’m stuck in a bit of a fic rut right now. I have over seventy favorites stories, yet lately it seems like none of them are updating. So I am looking for new stories. The problem is, I don’t find many I feel like favoriting. I hate it when I find a story I like but there are so many typos and grammatical errors that I just can’t look past it. That’s happened a lot lately. I also hate it when I get a story and it’s going along and I’m digging it and then, BAM, it becomes a Bella/Jacob story. I hate Bella/Jacob stories. Bella and Jacob is a horrible lie. I am in no way Team Jacob. I do like stories that use Jacob in creative ways, such as casting him as Edward’s best friend or some such, I just can’t support long-term Bella/Jacob happiness in fanfic. Twilight is not about Bella and Jacob. It’s about Edward and Bella. Anyway, on the rec’s. I actually do have a little plan for the next few weeks of what I’m rec’ing. I finally got around to reading a few stories I’ve had on hold forever, and some that I picked up when they just started out have built up enough chapters that I feel good about rec’ing. And in a couple cases, I’ve just gotten sick of waiting for last chapters/epilogues. So I am clearing out the backlog of rec’s. Everything must go!

“A Betting Man” by mybluesky

This is one of those stories I picked up when there were just three chapters and I gave it some time to see how it would go. Now fourteen chapters in, this is one of my favorite WIP stories. I get excited when it updates because I can’t wait to see where it goes next. This story gives us a seriously manwhorish Edward. It opens up with Bella and James splitting up–after two months of not putting out, James unceremoniously dumps Bella. While out with her friends, Rosalie and Jacob, shortly thereafter, Jacob overhears a conversation in the men’s room of the club. James has just bet his friend Edward Cullen that Edward can’t get Bella Swan to sleep with him in two weeks. Edward takes the bet.

Ugh! I know, right? So gross.

Never fear–Edward isn’t totally without conscience. He’s just handsome and rich and spoiled. He doesn’t have to work for girls, so he doesn’t take James’s bet seriously, thinking it will be no problem to get one of James’s tarts to sleep with him. But then he meets Bella and realizes she isn’t James’s usual type. As for Bella, she is fully aware of what Edward is doing, thanks to Jacob’s warning, but she decides to play along to both punish him for his arrogance and also because she needs a date to Jake’s wedding in two weeks. So when Edward approaches her she accepts his invitation for a date, thinking if she can tolerate him for two weeks she’ll be set for the wedding. Kind of a thin plot point, but this story is more humor than angst, so I’ll roll with it. Meanwhile she has Rosalie and Jake egging her on, and when Edward’s best friend Emmett joins the fray, Bella sets about toppling Edward’s orderly OCD world. As for Edward, he does have moments of self-loathing, especially as he gets to know Bella and realizes she’s not like the usual skanks he dates. This story is all about the unresolved sexual tension as Bella resists Edward so he won’t win his bet, and Edward begins backing away from Bella because maybe he doesn’t want to win it, either. There are pockets of heaviness, especially in the last chapter where drunk Bella flat-out calls Edward out on his bad behavior toward women. But generally this story is a funny, sassy battle of the sexes. I’ve been enjoying it immensely the last couple of months, and I think you will, too.

There is another one waiting for you after the jump… Continue reading

5 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

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