AdorableCullens and Algonquinrt Put on Pearl Necklaces

Diver Alias: Team Edward Mama with a Traitor in Her Midst (AKA algonquinrt)


Mission: Find a Jasperific fic appropriate for nine-year-old fangirl

The Pearl: Tripod by vampirelover44

Summary:

Tragedy befalls the cullen family when one member falls dangerously ill. A tale of overcoming life's kinks as a family. AH. J/Ed/Emm Twilight - Rated: M - English - Angst/Family - Chapters: 46 - Words: 169,030 - Reviews: 258 - Updated: 9-11-09 - Published: 6-29-09 - Jasper

Why I Read This:

Okay, quite honestly, I failed in my mission. I wanted to find a fic that I could let my nine-year-old daughter read. She's recently changed her affiliation to Team Jasper after well over a year on Team Edward. I was shooting for K or K+ but ended up finding something altogether different: an M-rated fic that doesn't have a ton of smut.

The story title would suggest a polyamory fic, but the crux of Tripod is the relationship between our favorite Cullen brothers: Edward, Emmett, and Jasper. The Cullen family is tested when Jasper leaves New York City and returns home after discussing he has leukemia. As a result, he's forced to rely on the strength of his family, especially his adopted brothers, as his life hangs in the balance.

I'll be straight. There are moments where the plot may get a little soap-y and overly dramatic, and the writing isn't as tight as I prefer. Even so, Jasper's love life is a back-burner here, because the focus is on family and brotherhood as they deal with his illness. The first lemon doesn't come for over 40 chapters, and you don't miss it in the least. Were it not for that lemon, I probably could have allowed EmoGirl to read this fic, and used it as a great example for her of how families stick together through thick and thin. It's refreshing to read a fic now and again that isn't a straight-up romance, and Tripod fits the bill.

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Diver Alias: The Latest in Single Parenting (aka AdorableCullens)

Mission: Some single parenting insight
Parameters: Charlie

The Pearl: Charlie Regrets by Silly Lily 17

Summary:

Charlie regrets a lot of things, but one thing is for certain; he doesn’t regret Bella. He regrets himself. He regrets letting it get to this point. Rated T for language. Twilight - Rated: T - English - Drama/Angst - Chapters: 2 - Words: 3,408 - Reviews: 1 - Published: 9-13-09 - Charlie & Bella - Complete

Why I Read This:

What newly single parent can’t relate to that summary? I had to open it to see what it was that our favorite cop regrets so very much. I was immediately (and pleasantly) surprised by the absence of typos and spelling errors. Silly Lily 17’s lyrical descriptions set a quiet, dreamy tone for the first few sentences. Then we find out in short order what Charlie regrets … this two-shot is an AU fic, post-Edward’s departure in New Moon, and Charlie is despairing over his daughter’s alcohol-fueled attempts to escape her pain. Unable to comfort the child he loves so desperately, Charlie sets aside personal pride to do the only thing left he can think of to bring Bella back to life. The second chapter of the two-shot is Bella’s POV of the same story which adds some color but isn’t as arresting (no pun intended, really) as the first. Silly Lily may be 17, but she paints a compelling portrait of one parent’s love for his child – and his own slide into self-loathing for his perceived failure.

Mission: Watch Charlie get his perv on
Parameters: Charlie x someone other than Sue or Renee

The Pearl: Only in Dreams by tuesdaymidnight

Summary:

One-Shot. She is the best friend of his daughter. He is the father of her best friend. Their attraction must remain unrecognized and unrequited. But that doesn’t mean their fantasies have to. AU, AH, OOC. Rated M. Twilight - Rated: M - English - General - Chapters: 1 - Words: 4,681 - Reviews: 1 - Published: 8-25-09 - Alice & Charlie – Complete

Why I Read This:

I wanted to find a story where Charlie finally gets some for himself – the poor bastard had to wait four books to get laid in canon, and even then, we don’t really know how much he was enjoying himself. When I saw the pairing (Charlie x Alice), I was a little taken aback. When I opened it and read the first sentence – in which Charlie relieves his morning wood to a fantasy of Alice, his daughter’s best friend – I couldn’t decide whether I should bleach my mind or read on. Natch, I read on. Leaving aside the edgy pairing, this is a well-written and (most startling of all) believable piece of smut. I’m sure Charlie isn’t the only parent in this world to get an itch for one of his daughter’s nubile friends, and Alice isn’t the first teenage girl to crush on her best friend’s dad. (Hello, American Beauty.) But the author portrays their longing very well in good clean prose. This is a one-shot, good enough to make me investigate tuesdaymidnight’s other work – which is worth reading. I’d be interested to see more from this author going forward.