FicDive: Non Canon

Diver Alias:

Who You Calling Darlin? (aka Ahizelm)

Mission:

Give Leah her due!

The Pearl:

Confessions of a Difficult Woman by Einfach_Mich

Summary:

Leah Clearwater is not the kind of girl that goes for guys like Edward Cullen. In fact, she thinks he's an asshole and Edward's made it clear he hates her too. One drunken night changes everything. AU AH For the Parkaward Contest

Twilight - Rated: M - English - Humor/Romance - Chapters: 17 - Words: 113,814 - Reviews: 417 - Updated: 4-27-10 - Published: 8-29-09 - Leah & Edward

Why I Read This:

So, here's the deal: I have a soft spot for Leah. I do. She got shafted in the Saga, and she's pigeonholed as a bitter bitch in most fic that's out there, often for no real reason. I have never understood this absence of depth, seeing as how out of all the characters Stephenie Meyer introduced us to, she is probably the most deserving of an emo funk.

Anyway, fast forward, and I'm poking around for little known, non-canon pairing fics. We all know I love me some Jasper/Bella, but nothing was cutting it for me.

Until I found this.

"

Confessions of a Difficult Woman

", by

einfach mich

- clearly a master of all non-canon pairings, if you take a look at her fics on FFn - was originally written for the Parkaward contest, and the story centers on Leah/Edward,

which, to be honest, is a pairing I never thought I'd read. Ever. But einfach mich manages to stay true to the quiet snark of the Pack in the original books and make Leah likable. And well...everyone loves Edward, right?

Chapter one introduces us to a Leah who has, once again, been dumped, only this time she's okay with it. In the wake of her split from Emmett, she manages to describe an Edward Cullen who is amazingly hot, intelligent, strangely shy, and a bit of a bastard (or so it seems). I'm not going to lie: this is the first Edward in a good while who has captured my interest immediately. Leah's voice is wry and hilarious (she calls the Cullens her "favorite dysfunctional Brady Bunch"). The dynamic between them is hot as hell, to say the least. We meet her on her birthday, drunk beyond reason, and things progress from there. Additionally, while the story focuses on Leah and Edward, there are several subplots, all engineered to further the central focus of the piece.

What can I say?

There's the Emmett/Edward dynamic. The Leah/Edward dynamic. The journals Leah keeps. The issue of Edward's past with women. The issue of Leah's history, in general. Her attraction to women. The dual natures of both Leah and Edward's personalities, thoughtful and abrasive, all in one. Snark and pop culture references. And the characters are largely their canon selves, set in an AH environment.

Oh, and by the way: There is smut. Squirm inducing, character-developing, well-written, high-quality smut. And I normally don't read smut-filled stories, but this? This is epic.

---

Diver Alias:

Miss Doesn't Do Things the Easy Way (aka Lightstardusting)

Mission:

Make us believe in Roseward

The Pearl:

For Me by Megi-B

Summary:

Five things that make you perfect. Go," Rosalie asked, bringing up Edward's favorite obsession, himself. "The skin of a dead hooker. The blood of the innocent. The soul of a kitten. The cat from the cat in the hat. And sunglasses," Edward replied.

Twilight - Rated: M - English - Romance/Angst - Chapters: 2 - Words: 4,306 - Reviews: 15 - Updated: 4-14-10 - Published: 4-1-10 - Edward & Rosalie

Why I Read This:

Donned from head to toe in SCUBA gear, I arrived for my ficdive only to see the graphic with a dumpster… not the ocean. Which makes sense, given that I was in search of the unconventional, aka non-canon couples. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought I might be searching for awhile. I was pleasantly surprised when I found not only Rosalie and Edward, but vampire Rosalie and Edward at that. Score!

Megi-B is one of the hosts for the Texts from Last Night contest and when she saw this particular text, she grabbed it and made it her own (found that out from reading the A/Ns – yup, I read them). Can’t say I blame her! After all:

“Five things that make you perfect. Go.” with the reply, “The skin of a dead hooker. The blood of the innocent. The soul of a kitten. The cat from the cat in the hat. And sunglasses.” It just begs for an explanation and Megi-B has concocted a good one.

At the story’s start, Rosalie has been away from the rest of the family in Forks. She chooses to text message Edward during a bout of loneliness. They both find the line of communication freeing, although Edward often thinks and rethinks his replies to Rosalie. The reader has to wonder why there’s underlying tension.

There were women Edward could be himself with. But Rosalie? With Rosalie, it was so different. She made him someone better.

Perfect.

That was it. Lying on the ground, texting, thousands of miles away from her, everything about Rosalie Hale felt so perfect.

Edward wanted, desperately wanted, to drop his falsely flirtatious pretext and tell Rosalie exactly what he had just thought about the perfection she made him feel. She made him feel alive. Edward wrote, and deleted, several variations on the theme in the time it took Rosalie to stop waiting for his reply.

This, in its core, is why I dig Edward and Rosalie together. Both are headstrong and both push the other toward awesomeness (to borrow Megi-B’s opening sentiments).

Also, the fact that Edward tells Rosalie that “the skin of a dead hooker” reminds him of her, in itself, is damn funny.
Thus far, there is no Bella in For Me. However there is Emmett and oh yes, he is Rosalie’s husband. At this stage in the game it’s unclear what exactly has or hasn’t happened between Rosalie and Edward in the past (although there are hints) but one thing is clear, there is some chemistry going on in the present. I can’t help but be intrigued by where Megi-B will be taking this in the future. Only two chapters in, the possibilities are endless.

---

Diver Alias:

Had to Change Screenname b/c Rob was Stalking Her (aka GrownAssWoman)

Mission:

Make us say "Edward who?"

The Pearl:

Near to You by Caitlinlaurie

Summary:

AU. Years after Edward left in New Moon, Bella has moved on with her life, now living in a small town. But when her path crosses someone from Forks, Bella must chose between the life she has made for herself and the one she is destined for. B/C.

Twilight - Rated: M - English - Romance/Drama - Chapters: 7 - Words: 49,671 - Reviews: 267 - Updated: 4-26-10 - Published: 4-4-10 - Bella & Carlisle

Why I Read This:

I am an unabashed Edward-lover, I really am. But every now and then I get a hankering for some good old-fashioned Carlisle. And Carlisle x Bella usually suits me just fine. The problem is, it’s not a popular pairing and finding quality fics with this pairing can be tricky. So it was with great relief and surprise that I found this diamond in the rough. Near To You is an AU story that picks up after Edward leaves in New Moon. The author strives to keep the characters in Canon, and I must say, she’s quite successful—even more so than the original books.

More Canon than the original? Is that even possible?

I think it is. Here’s why:

In Twilight, Bella begins as a strong, young, and selfless character who uproots herself from her home for the sake and happiness of her parents. That takes guts to do in the middle of high school, but she does it. It’s not until she meets and falls in love with Edward that we see the meekish character that so many of us have become annoyed with.

When you think about it, she allowed herself to be changed by Edward, and not in the immortal way that she hoped for. She submitted herself to his whims and fears and lost herself along the way, which made his absence that much more devastating.

In Near To You, Bella is guided by a strong and loving mother who teaches her that her life did not end with the departure of the Cullens, that she still had so much left to do and to accomplish. And she does. She gathers her wits and lives her life to the fullest, and becomes the strong, independent woman she was meant to be.

Carlisle, on the other hand, loses everything. And it makes sense, Canon-wise. At the end of Breaking Dawn, it was Bella’s strength, her shield that protects everyone; she’s the glue that holds the family together. It also makes sense that her absence from their lives would tear them apart, which in this case it does. And years later we find a single and alone Dr. Carlisle Cullen meeting up with an adult Bella Swan. We learn more of his spiritual beliefs, we gain a greater insight on his thoughts about his family and his chosen lifestyle, and we even get a small taste of his British accent when we read his POV.

In each other Bella and Carlisle find hope and redemption and something more, something they both thought they’d never find again.

This is a beautiful story with rich characters that are flawed, lovely, and realistically beautiful. They are well developed and make decisions that make sense. It’s a very well written work that actually has me questioning my ExB allegiance. In Near To You, Carlisle and Bella are a believable pair that are meant to be together.