Showing posts with label Quickie Fickies. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

QuickieFickies: Cullen Incarcerated Winners

Cullens Incarcerated Contest Winners

Jailward? BigHouseElla? Criminalice? Guardsper? Justice has been served, or has it? Guilty or not guilty? We want your jail stories: heart-wrenching, smut-filled or crack. Bring everything you've got. Will our inmates find love behind the bars? Or will solitary confinement drive them over the edge?

Below are the winners for the Cullens Incarcerated Contest, which was hosted by WA Rehab through December and January. The 14 entries were posted anonymously. Please take a moment to enjoy some quick brilliance from the winning entrants!

First Place Winner:

Desolation Row

Jocelyn Torrent

Summary:

Winner of the Cullens Incarcerated contest. Accused of murdering her lover, Bella is sent to prison in the 1930's. Her cellmate is known simply as The Bloody Bride and seems proud of the title. What will become of this?

Recommendation:

This is a harrowing tale of two women whose lives have been destroyed by the men they loved and trusted, it’s a story about female empowerment and an unexpected friendship that could save them both.

~Written by Alitriona~

Second Place Winner:

Justice Is Blind

Enjorous

Summary:

Entry for the Cullens Incarcerated Contest. Justice is blind, isnâ€™t it? It may be, but is that always a good thing? If someone doesnâ€™t remember her crime at all, can she truly be guilty? If someone did it for a good reason, can she truly be innocent?

Recommendation:

This story is a fantastic look at the effects of prison life. Alice, a supposedly blood-thirsty murderer, enters her cell with an innocence that the reader just knows won't last. She can't remember committing the crime, and her cell-mate Rosalie (known as the Bridal Butcher) committed her crimes as revenge for being brutalized (a nice nod to canon Rose/Royce). But, as Rosalie wisely points out to Alice, the circumstances rarely matter in the justice system. A really thought-provoking read.

Third Place Winner:

Stereo Alchemy

MrsKatyCullen

Summary:

24 hours, and asphyxiation calls her forward. Will the sudden burst of feelings change the fate of Bella Swan, and take her away from the consequences of death row? Third place in "Cullens Incarcerated"!

Recommendation:

Stereo Alchemy is a story about a woman who sacrificed the life of her own daughter and therefore her own life to escape the abusive partner. Her life was about loss, suffer and pain until she met one person who saw her for who she truly was and showed her what true love can be.

~Written by Detochkina~

Send all your favorite Quickie Fickie recommendations to us using this form!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Quickie Fickie: And New For Something Completely Different

And Now For Something Completely Different

We all get in our ruts. AU, AH, a certain rating, even a pairing. But, just like it's good to try something different when you go out to dinner, sometimes it's good to try something different when you read. Quickie Fickies this week is all about different. No worries, these are all canon in pairing (we'll save Jella and Roseward for another time), just in scenarios you might not have seen before, but always wondered about.

To go along with Giselle-LX's take on Canon and missing moments (Part 1 and Part 2) we are giving you five different takes on the happenings of our beloved series. Whether it's a secondary character's backstory occuring before we met them in the series, missing moments that craft depth and perspective, or a flash forward take on what happened after the close of Breaking Dawn, these stories will help fill in some of the infamous blanks left by Stephenie Meyers. They may even give you a different take on some characters you've never really thought about before.

Consider these sorbet for the brain - quick little hits to jump start your engine and maybe make you see the series a bit differently.

Enjoy!

AuroralMemory

Recommends

Betwixt the Stirrup and the Ground

Subtlynice

Angst / Hurt/Comfort Canon Jasper / Alice Rated: T/PG13 4,313 words Published: 10-26-09

Summary:

The last battle is always the worst. Jasper faces a new fear as he fights Victoria’s army of newborns with Alice by his side. Jasper/Alice one-shot. Eclipse missing moment.

Recommendation:

The Eclipse battle scene told from Jasper's POV. Subtlynice is a talented canon writer who understands the characters she writes. Her writing is beautiful, smooth, poignant, and truly captures the essence of the characters. A must read for J/A fans!

Justine Lark

Recommends

Nothing to Lose

BabelFish42

Family / Angst Canon Leah / Seth Rated: T/PG13 4798 words Published: 8/9/08

Summary:

Little brothers. You can't live with them, and you can't live without them. What happens when Leah and Seth are home alone the day after the climactic battle in Eclipse? One-shot told from Leah's POV.

Recommendation:

Here's the review I wrote in January: This story is extremely well done. Very well crafted, with the details like the term paper topic and even the sneakers supporting the theme. It has moments of humor ("I'd developed a habit of speaking my mind" and "That was definitely not English" and the whole exchange about preparing the frozen dinner, for example) but it also expressed a lot of deep and genuine feeling. It took the character through a realistic emotional arc. I consider myself very hard to please, and I'm really impressed with this.

linkkinparkk

Recommends

Beauty Within Chaos, Chaos Within Beauty

zm4u

Hurt/Comfort / Romance AH Jasper / Alice Rated: T/PG13 2,280 words Published: 12/06/2009

Summary:

Losing his life on the battlefield, Jasper finds beauty within the chaos, but the thing that holds beauty holds its own chaos as well. Pairing AxJ, one-shot.

Recommendation:

There's something attractive about a human Jasper, a mystery that surrounds his choices and his attitude. It's Jasper at his most canon and I struggle to find any Jasper fics that cover his past. zm4u definitely captures Jasper and his past, throwing in an AU twist that really leaves you reeling and hungering for more.

in-cognito

Recommends

Calamity

Edwina Cullen

Suspense / Hurt/Comfort Canon Carlisle / Emmett Rated: T/PG13 5382 words Published: December 24, 2009

Summary:

Dr. Cullen's day did not start out as usual, and maybe, the worst is yet to come. Pre-Twilight, Canon, Rated T

Recommendation:

I rarely ever see this kind of story in fandom. The idea to explore the possible circumstances leading to Emmett's total integration into his adoptive family is excellently done and very well written. Capturing Carlisle's interaction with the younger vampire's early experience as a Cullen has been written with great skill. Also true to canon, this piece is a very compelling and inspiring story between a father and son.

EliseShaw

Recommends

Understanding

ebhg

Family / Drama Canon Edward / Charlie Rated: T/PG13 1,304 words Published: 12/30/09

Summary:

It took nearly 13 years, but Charlie finally understands. EPOV of a very important day post-Breaking Dawn.

Recommendation:

Ebhg is one of those fantastic writers who I feel has done a fine job of writing Edward's journey through fatherhood. This fic is set on Nessie's wedding day, where Edward finally identifies with how Charlie felt years before as he gave up his own little girl. Ebhg's writing has a wonderfully understated sense of humor, perfect for the awkward moments between these two!

Send all your favorite Quickie Fickie recommendations to us using this form!

Monday, February 1, 2010

QuickieFickies: Missing Canon Moments

Canon: Missing Moments

So, while nominating stories for the Eddies and Bellies last month, I had some serious trouble with the Missing Canon Moments category. I'm not sure if I just hadn't read a bunch, or if I'd simply forgotten them because they'd been so good that, in my mind, they were just canon to me anyway. This made me really want to seek out some great canon missing moments, and I was so glad to see an awesome stockpile of canon o/s recs submitted to Quickie Fickies over the past few weeks.

Please, I beg, if you read a great oneshot that has under 50 reviews, fill out our rec form. We rely on the stockpile of listings to determine theme trends. Thanks so much!

starshinedown

Recommends

Watching Him Fold

Scarlett71177

Summary:

Carisle's pov. Missing moment from Twilight/Midnight Sun. A father watches his son walk away.

Recommendation:

It's a poignant moment for Carlisle when Edward, after that near-fatal meeting with Bella in their biology class, goes to his father-figure to tell him he's running to Alaska in order to save the life of Chief Swan's daughter. In some ways I feel like this is canon Carlisle at his best: outwardly calm, supportive of his son, and fighting his own guilt at sentencing other to his immortal life. He's so well rounded here. I feel like Scarlett71177 captured his character perfectly.

EliseShaw

Recommends

Most Dangerous Predator

Xaipre

Summary:

Bella is forced to reflect upon the upcoming shift in her relationship with Mother Nature and she teaches Carlisle an important lesson about responsibility. One-Shot. Canon. ExB. CPOV.

Recommendation:

This is one of those great canon missing moments as the Cullens help prepare Bella for her new life as a vampire. I like how Xaipre strikes a good balance between the humorous interactions we all enjoy in the original series and quiet moments of reflection that we expect from Carlisle. A must-read for canon enthusiasts!

jess_not_ie

Recommends

Wanting

LeFay

Summary:

New Moon. After Edward leaves, Bella is distraught and Charlie sends her to counseling. But Bella finds her own counseling in the form of Mike Newton

Recommendation:

Something about this story that keeps you thinking about for a long time after it, I have an obsession with the missing months in New Moon and this is the fic that I believe handles it well. As the author says on her profile, if Twilight was written by someone other then Smeyer, it could easily taken this direction.

lizzyvamp1901

Recommends

Battle Scars

Sophisticated.Simplicity

Summary:

Before the wedding, Edward sees one of Bella's scars from when she was just a little kid. Upon hearing the story, he decides to show his fiance his own scar - and its story reveals secrets not only about Edward's past, but about his relationship with Bella as well.

Recommendation:

This one-shot is really great. The writing's excellent - but the ending is, by far, the best thing about it. Definitely a great humor fic.

Send all your favorite Quickie Fickie recommendations to us using this form!

Monday, January 18, 2010

WTF is a Gift Exchange?

Twilight Gift Exchange

This is so exciting!! The second annual

Twilight Gift Exchange

kicks off today.

Sound of crickets chirping as people stare blankly and wonder:

a) what a gift exchange is and

b) why it is this falling under the header of Quickie Fickies?

That's okay, when I first heard of the summer 2009 Gift Exchange, I had the same reaction. But now I know that the gift exchange is one month of instant gratification, where we'll get 2-3 one shots/novellas every day for one month.

Yeah - you read right, one month.

The Gift Exchange is an incredibly cool concept, put together by the lovely ladies at

The Twilight Enablers

. Back in October, the call went out for up to 75 (yep - 75!) participants. Upon registration, each of these writers or artists were prompted to give up to 3 preferences on a story or piece of art work they would like to see custom made for them. Each individual was also prompted to identify what he/she would be willing to write. You got it, this is a quid pro quo deal.

To give you an idea on how it works, I've included the prompts/pairings I gave when I registered for the Gift Exchange:

Snowball fights and snowmen, cutting your own christmas tree; perspective on first time experiences from someone that's never been able to do those sorts of things (either by climate, socio-economic, etc)

Christmas caroling is a dying art, so a CDof old and new songs (classic, rock, etc) as a way to tell a story

21st century gift of the magi - sacrifing the one thing you hold dear to do something amazing for the person you love.

Preferred pairings: Edward and Bella, Emmett and Rose, Garrett and Kate, or Carlisle and Esme

I also had to provide what pairings or situations I wouldn't be willing to write (in my case, it was Jake or Slash - sorry folks, you wouldn't want to read it from me, so I won't offer to write it!)

The organizers then took these parameters and matched up all the participants. I received someone to write for, along with their prompts, and someone received my name along with my prompts. Once complete, stories were submitted to the organizers, who will post a few each day on the live journal site. No one knows who wrote what until the end, so there is the fun in seeing what was written for you, as well as trying to guess who wrote what. Think you could pick out the work of

GinnyW_31

SleepyValentina

LolaShoes

Ninapolitan

Lillybellis

Oxymoronic8

Ruby__Wednesday

ScarlettLetters

....and of course me,

Hmonster4

? Those are just a few of the contributors!

Think about it....2-3 quickies a day for a month! That's enough to make the biggest fan fic cynic smile.

And the fun won't end there. To keep things interesting, activities are planned throughout the Gift Exchange.

The Fictionators

will be posting teasers every Thursday for the upcoming week (did you check out

week one's teasers

yet?), and will host a "Guess Who Wrote What" contest at the end of the exchange. There were some terrific works that came out of the

summer exchange

, and the winter version is shaping up to be just as great! Go check it out!

Send all your favorite Quickie Fickie recommendations to us using

this form

Monday, January 4, 2010

QuickieFickies: Indies First Time Writers Challenge

The Indies First Time Writers Challenge Quickie Fickies!

Amongst the crazy fall contest calendar there was a special little challenge, near and dear to my heart, The Indies First Time Writers Challenge. The objective was simple, lure readers who wanted to write out of the woodwork. The rules? A one shot about 'first experience' by a writer who had never published fan fiction before. No stipulation on rating, pairings, genre, it was all greenfield. We wanted to create a level playing field to lure people out. And lure we did.

There were more than forty stories submitted, with thirty making it to the voting and judging round. What was surprising was the diversity of the entries. There were a lot of Edward and Bella, but there were a lot of other characters too, including some that you don't hear much about. I wanted to call out a few of the more surprising characters or pairings to give you a taste of the unique takes people came up with. I also recommend you check out the c2 of submitted stories, odds are there is a pairing in there just right for you: The First Time Writers Challenge C2.

We'll be sponsoring another one of these First Time Writers Challenges later in the year, so all you aspiring writers, start thinking. In the mean time go read, enjoy, review. There are some truly lovely stories by some readers you should really get to know.

And don't forget - this is your chance to recommend your favorite Quickie Fickies too! Submit yours here!

HMonster4

Recommends

Setting Her Free

Bendingmirrors

Summary:

An entry for the "Indies First-Time Writer Challenge" Contest. AU. Renee reminisces about her time with Charlie in Forks in the 70s while watching Bella’s plane take-off as she goes to live with her father.

Recommendation:

Ah Renee, often maligned or all together forgotten. It's so easy to discount her role in the Twilight saga. She put Bella on a plane to Forks, and short of a few phone calls and brief cameos in Eclipse and Breaking Dawn, we hardly see her. How did she feel about putting Bella on a plane back to the place she'd fled? Was it hard to let her go?

Bendingmirrors does a lovely job on her first time out - pulling out the back story of Charlie and Renee, including how they 'connected,' fell in love, and ultimately fell apart. It's a heart wrenching view of a mother's love and sacrifice.

HMonster4

Recommends

The Corner of Your Heart

TheHeartOfLifeIsGood

Summary:

Rosalie and Edward have been friends since childhood, but he has a new girl in his life and Rosalie’s feelings for him have changed. A story about the shifting tides of friendship. AH.

Recommendation:

Oh Rosalie, always wanting, always waiting, never getting. So many of us have mixed impressions of Rose, especially when it comes to Edward. In this one shot, we are introduced to a Rose that isn't too far off of canon. She's beautiful, smart, and appears to have it all. Or does she?

I can't say too much without giving away the plot, but this story is very much about how friendships morph and evolve over time, and how your first love will always own a portion of your heart. It's a lovely, bittersweet read - even if you don't like to read non-canon couples. Trust me!

HMonster4

Recommends

Becoming Jane

LoreliD

Summary:

As Jane burns at the stake convicted of witchcraft; she vows vengeance upon her accuser. Once she joins the Volturi, Jane’s sweet revenge is within reach - M for violence & dark themes

Recommendation:

We know her as a malevolent little vampire, but what about the human Jane? What made her who she was, and how did she come to live with the Volturi?

This is a tangled, dark tale that delves deep into the warped psyche of a selfish teenager who thinks of only one person besides herself, her beloved brother Alec. This is horror in the best sense of the word, and will give you all new perspective on what it means to burn...the question is, burn from what?

Send all your favorite Quickie Fickie recommendations to us using this form!

Monday, December 21, 2009

QuickieFickies:Introductory Rec Post

Now Introducing Quickie Fickies!

This is a new feature here at TLYDF.com that will serve to spotlight one-shots, every other week! Sometimes it's good to just sit down and know you can read something amazing, from beginning to end, in under one hour.

We'll be discerning some pretty awesome stuff, but we want to know what Quickie Fickies fandom loves, so

use this form

to recommend your favorite one-shots to us!

This week, we're starting it off with Admin picks and hoping to fill our rec pool for next time. Give the following Quickie Fickies a shot!

ElleCC

Recommends

Though Lovers be Lost

circe290

Summary:

Time has both brought them together and wrenched them apart, but time is not always the greatest obstacle to be overcome. O/S, M because I can't keep from swearing. Non-canon pairings.

Recommendation:

I always appreciate circe290's treatment of Jasper, and it's no different for "Though Lovers be Lost." It is short -- not quite three thousand words -- but powerful. Circe smartly weaves past with far-past to share what Jasper has to say, and emotion and tension steadily build throughout the story. While some of you are going to glare at me and shake your fists angrily at the sky for rec'ing this, I think it's an appropriate story for this holiday time because it really helps remind us how we should appreciate what we have, while we have it.

Pastiche Pen

Recommends

The Valediction

FatApolloLove

Summary:

First place Judges pick for "Les Femmes Noires" Challenge. Post-Breaking Dawn. EPOV. One-Shot. "We have tomorrow, and the next day, and the next..." The consequences of forever.

Recommendation:

The premise of this fic is that eventually, all vampires go mad. Edward always knew that this would someday happen, but he always thought he would go mad first. Instead, Bella does. Or does she? Like many of FatApolloLove's stories, this one is dark and twisted. The prose is often so cutting, the plot events so horrifying, that you start to worry (along with the characters) that nothing will ever be resolved, but then the ending of this story is so satisfying, because the answer was always there, staring us all in the face. Just 'mazing.

AngstGoddess003

Recommends

The Root

jjuliebee

Summary:

Ultimate techno-geek Edward is sullen and bitter, obsessed with his hatred of all things Microsoft. It takes administrative assistant Bella Swan to understand his hidden desires as she gives him what he needs. Part of Happy Birthday Nina Story Collection

Recommendation:

I love me some Geekward, but I ESPECIALLY love me some Bill Gates hating Geekward! I love the way author conveys geekness with such authenticity in this story. Every IT person has had the issue before. You're working some place big, and they want to go mainstream technical, with their Dells and HPs and UGH. DNW! Poor Edward is stuck in this job that just annoys him.

He likes Bella, but has affectionately dubbed her "a Microsoft lover." Microsoft lovers are the conformists of the corporate world, and Edward has higher standards. It seems as though it cannot be. Or can it?

moon.witche

Recommends

The Last Link

jaxidy

Summary:

It's been 90 years since the Cullens called Forks their home. Now that enough time has passed for them to be forgotten, they decide to return. Bella discovers, however, that one of her old friends is still barely alive. This is her visit with that friend.

Recommendation:

Alright, so all week I knew exactly what one shot I was going to do, I just had to find the time to do it. There is only one one shot that I have read more than once. But, of course, I get home to find that it doesn't meet the criteria. *grumble* So, then I had to find a new one. I checked some C2s some contests, couldn't find anything. I hope this is just because it was last minute and all I really wanted to write about was the one I couldn't write about.

Then hopefulwager rec'd this one to me. And it is so, wonderful.

Bella races to the hospital when she realizes that a friend from her past is dying. She sits beside the bed, and has one last normal, human conversation. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the ancient human talking about how things are so different as one ages, and the immortal vampire, ever young and beautiful. And yet, they still connect, they are still friends.

Hmonster4

Recommends

The Family Cullen

giselle-lx

Summary:

It's the Cullens' first Christmas in Forks, and Carlisle surprises his family with the gift of some unique jewelry. Later, he and Edward have a quiet conversation about what the future holds. One-shot, blended book/movie canon, Pre-Twilight. CPOV

Recommendation:

A rare glimpse of the Cullens before Bella, The Family Cullen does a wonderful job of illustrating the familial bonds that have existed for years, and how the love, faith and support of family can prepare the biggest cynic for the promise of love.

I've been on an AU/Canon kick these days, and given the looming holiday, thought this would be an excellent rec to share. Set up as a crossover between the book and movie, Giselle_LX crafts a lovely tale about the different types of love that exist within the Cullen family, and how those very bonds prepare them for the changes that lie in their not too distant future.

Also important, I can give this Emmett two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Send all your favorite Quickie Fickie recommendations to us using

this form

Friday, July 3, 2009

Pastiche Does Some Target Practice: A One-Shot Hits the Spot

A ONE-SHOT HITS THE SPOT

Now we get to talk about the one-shot! Tiny, packaged and pretty like babies, petit fours, or those half-sized water bottles—sometimes miniaturizing something can make it infinitely better! I do believe this is also the case for the one-shot.

Basic Facts:

A one-shot, of course, is a single scene or a short story that is one chapter. In our fandom, the vast majority of one-shots seem to have been found through contests. Of note are the Sexy Edward and DTE contests. Other popular categories include missing moments, slash one-shots, and one-shot series.

The Newbie Writer

Now, for a newbie writer, one-shots are a mixed bag. It is harder to gain readership with a one-shot than it is with a multi-chaptered fic, BUT writing a one-shot is one of the best ways to dip your toes into writing. (1) One-shots allow you to really focus on the writing aspect as opposed to the rushed pace of storytelling. (2) Writing a full-length story and actually completing it is a challenging task. If you’ve never done it before, maybe it’s simply best to start with a one-shot.

Where to Post? Where to Find?

So, let’s say you’ve gotten your one-shot completely written up, where do you post it? Well, anywhere you can, but I recommend writing for a contest first. Contests are a great way to get readers involved. Otherwise, post to Twilighted, FF, and especially LiveJournal communities that feature your stories:

By clicking on “user info” on these sites, you can find out what they’re about, what the rules for posting are, and links to more sites and affiliates,typically.

One Shots vs. Multi-Chaptered Stories

Some of my favorite rec sites do the great task of separating out their favorite one-shots from multi-chaptered fic. I like this, because I think readers read one-shots and longer fics for different reasons. I personally read one-shots when I just want a quick escape. I’m sure everyone else has their for-and-against reasons too (go ahead and put them in the comment section below).

Is Writing a One-Shot Different than Writing a Chapter Story?

They have different paces than a novel. Sometimes an entire novel can be condensed into a really good short story. As examples, I’d point to

Wayfaring

by gallantcorkscrews and

The Soul Feel Its Worth

by poppyandpeony. Both pieces move through time via critical scenes—the filler is snipped away—and the resulting story lines are crisp and clear and therefore, all the more heartfelt.

Most of the one-shots in our fandom tend to be the romantic lemon—on speed. Boy meets girl. They instantly like each other. There’s the hesitation, the angst, and then something happens, a word is whispered, an unexpected note reveals all—or hell, girl jumps on boy. Walla!

Minisinoo has already applied some of her genius on whether or not your style as an author would be a better fit for one shots or multi-chaptered fics, so I’m including a link to the article she sent me.

My final piece of advice on short stories is that you may want to look outside of fandom for original inspiration. I recommend the short stories by Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain), Stephen King (I’m still not over his short which inspired the Shawshank Redemption), Truman Capote (A Christmas Memory), and Jhumpla Lahiri (all of her shorts) as a step into the amazing and great.

Give Some a Shot:

Finally, being the busybody that I am, I went and harassed authors for their favorite one-shots in the fandom. Thus, you get a slew of brilliant examples. Enjoy.

Limona

Form 1040

, by giselle-lx

A non-smutty one-shot from Carlisle's point of view that makes Nessie appealing and winsome. The topic of taxes is mundane, but the fine writing and the touching quality of this vignette are not. Set seven months post-BD.

Withthevampsofcourse

Night in Nantes

by regatta-bay

Best "I don't want to say good night just yet" that I’ve ever read.

Smellyia

The Golden Mean

by ophelietta

Ophelietta’s opening quote, “In philosophy, especially that of Aristotle, the golden mean is the desirable middle between two extremes…” is what sold me. Already, I am reminded that we, as people, always have a choice and sometimes it does not have to be the two most obvious. For Bella, everyone always just assumed it had to be one boy or another, but what if.... what if she picked the one person we always forgot about – herself? This ficlet shows us the girl in the story through poetic and simplistic prose that never distracts but only enhances the most important lesson so many of us have yet to learn - there is always a third choice. This story is not for the hard-core romantic, but for women who love the most important relationship they will ever have - the one they have with themselves. It is empowering, genuine and a small piece of wisdom I hope to impart to my own child one day.

cdunbar

The Truth About Juliet

by luvcali76

The Truth About Juliet is an interpretation of what Bella would be like two years after Edward left her and things hadn't turned out the way they did in Italy. Why I love it: It's heartbreaking and I'm a masochist, pure and simple. Luvcali's imagery of what's going on in Bella's head and what's happening around her is breathtakingly beautiful, even through all the pain. I can't think of a better example of a one-shot.

Touchstone

Six Inches

by Rosalee Lorraine

Six Inches is poetically written, sexy but not pure smut. It includes the sweetest Edward wanting, yet not pushing, Jasper. It starts with them touching, exploring, and completes the act, but in a romantic, sweet, caring way - even though it's a one shot, which is not an easy thing to do.

Hopefulwager

I Keep Smoking Cigarettes

by Stretch

The gifted writer can flip your understanding of life with one well placed turn of phrase. 321 words is all it takes for Stretch to give you that OMG moment and smack away your misconceptions about Rosalie Hale's and Leah Clearwater's assessments of Bella & Edward's relationship.

Halo Jones

The Making of Emmett Cullen

by Jfly/Thallium81

I really it like cause it gives a great back story to the couple most prone to grating clichés in twilightffland. And it's Jfly, the gal who turns empty ff calories into whole grained goodness! [P’s note: This won the “Make It Count Contest.”]

Mischiefmaker01

A Forest's Gift

by windtear

It has neither graphic language nor graphic lemons, but it's a sweet tale of a Forest God, Edward, and the human he falls for. It's set in BPOV and interestingly enough, also has Jacob as the wolf in a short bit in which Edward now reminds him that he had his time to have her, and that she came willingly to Edward's 'altar'. Not the best written, but the story behind it is rich and sweet and reminds me of Nora Roberts. This one was for the "Sexy Eddie" contest, and yes, it's the one I voted for.

Minisinoo

A Consumation Devoutly to be Wished

by Bratanimus

At the time of this story's posting in April 2008, I hadn't seen much Twi-fiction yet that gave us a truly vampire Edward up to and including the sex act. Sex here serves as character analysis. Edward and Bella have decided to explore that "gray area" between kissing and coitus before the wedding night in order to prepare Edward so that Bella doesn't become dinner. In preparation, to be warm for her, Edward "cooks" himself in hot bathwater. As odd as it sounds, it works. In the hands of a good author, the most unlikely premise becomes brilliantly original.

Angstgoddess003

Tis Better to Receive

by Thallium81(Jfly)/upthedownslide

What I love about this one-shot, aside from the fact that it is a one-shot collab, and that in and of itself is a feat, is how they illustrate Edward's life pre-Bella, the longing and loneliness, in such a way that I want to: A.) Read more. B.) Give him my own present, if yanno what I mean ~winks~ C.) Actually read the first book again to feel resolution, and D.) Cut my wrists a little. That's a successful formula in my book-o-masochism. Plus, angsty masturbation has never looked so festive.

Pastiche’s contribution:

The Price is Right

by Princess Bertha

The premise is ridiculous but satirically brilliant: the Cullens lose all their money, and while they could probably earn money in any number of ways, it turns out that the fastest and easiest way to refill the coffers is to prostitute Edward Cullen’s hotness. Does prudish Edward actually have to cheat on Bella? Of course not! He just needs to dazzle the willing ladies. This could have been the stupidest badfic ever, instead it’s executed with perfect comedic climax. And I mean “climax” in every sense of the word. I do.