Gondolier and Emibella Nail a Hole-in-Two!

Diver: Gondolier
Alias: hole-surfing floozy

Mission: Something I can share with Mr. Gondolier
Parameter: 20,000+ word count

The Pearl: The Hot Corner by LZTZ and D Pattinson
Rated: M - Romance/Humor - Chapters: 5 - Words: 20,598 - Reviews: 11
Summary: Bella and Emmett are the owners of a MLB Team. Edward Masen is a free agent 3rd baseman looking for a new start. Bella and Edward have a hidden messy past. Can they work out their differences on and off the field?


Why I read this: While I suited up and dived, hubby happened to be engrossed in a Chicago Cubs game, ever the die-hard fan. As he hollered at our television, I wondered if I could find just one fic that might hold an iota of his attention the way Wrigley Field and the “loveable losers” do. Lo and behold, what do I spy? My fantasy fic. Bella isn’t a shy librarian, writer, high school nerd, oh no. She’s co-owner of the Chicago Fucking Cubs. The Hot Corner’s tension is high, right off the bat (heh). Winter Meetings are in full swing (stop me), and Bella’s high school sweetheart turned pro ballplayer, Edward Masen, is up for grabs. Business-wise, he’s the best fit for the Cubs franchise. But Bella doesn’t want to dredge up a messy personal history. Now, this fic could be a total bust if the gals writing The Hot Corner didn’t know their baseball. So I tested its accuracy on hubby. I pulled an authentic-sounding line from the fic and rattled it off: “Hey honey, what’s the latest on Ramirez’s nagging shoulder injury?” Needless to say, I was happier than Emmett with a new sex toy when hubby took the bait. Rolling his eyes, he replied, “still bothering him. He’ll have to rehab it during the off-season.” Eeee! Another line: “I wonder if the GM will round up someone to replace him in the Winter Meetings?” “Very possible.” And so on. Yup, these gals have done their research. Five chapters in, and the story is still a fun read. Love those boys of summer (and apparently, so does Hot Corner Bella).

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Diver: Emibella

Alias: Esme's Lunch Date

Mission: Character Study

Parameters: Vampire, one shot NOT Edward or Bella

The Pearl: Inseparable by linkkinparkk

Summary: Jasper doesn't belong. He isn't like the others. He is a monster with no control. Or at least that's what he believes. He wants to leave to make an existence of his own, but a certain pixie-like vampire won't let him leave alone, if at all. A x J.

Twilight - Rated: T - English - Romance/General - Chapters: 1 - Words: 2,635 - Reviews: 4 - Published: 8-26-09 - Alice & Jasper - Complete

Why I Read This: I have been thinking a lot lately about how characters, especially all-human versions, have morphed into something other than what they once were. One author writes a great all-human Jasper who likes to chomp on peanuts and pretty soon every other author has Jasper eating peanuts like they are going out of style. Pretty soon, peanut loving Jasper is canon right? It's just something that we as fan-fiction readers and writers associate with him. Bella clumsy and Alice loving clothes so it makes sense that they would be tripping and shopping all over the place. But other times, this morphing just makes no sense at all.

When it came time to do my dive I thought about attempting to get back to the roots of the characters. Putting in the parameters of "Vampire" and "One Shot" (and NOT M since I didn't want it to be a boink-o-rama, not that I don't enjoy a good boning) I was looking for an author who understood the character they were writing about. Not a canon story, but a re-imagining of what we already know.

linkkinparkk's introspective look at the dichotomy that makes up Jasper's character is very well played. She is heavy on metaphor (even mentioning that, in fact, the story is metaphor) but the understanding of Jasper fighting against his instinct because of his love for Alice is amazingly clear. Not only do you have a deeper grasp of Jasper's pain of the push and pull of his life, you get a wonderful glimpse of how Alice believes in him.

We get so little from the side characters in the original books. Yes, there is a lot of Canon fic out there but there is a lot to be said for tackling a story about these side characters that could contain as much depth, if not more, as the main characters. Looking at these deep stories that we only saw briefly is fascinating and I only wish that the twiverse would embrace more of them. Inseparable does just that.