The Lost Boys, by hwimsey

This fic was pulled but remains a classic, available HERE

Description: Three young woman, three young men, a potentially haunted Victorian that's falling apart around their ears, unrequited love, and an up and coming band. Take all that, shake it up, and set it in romantic San Francisco. All human, usual pairings.

I'm so in awe of this story. The response I feel to each chapter is straight up adoration and words never seem adequate. That's probably why I hardly reviewed this story at all.

That ends up happening with a lot of stories that I really like but that already have a gajillion reviews. I don't want to bog the author down when all I'd be doing is gushing and fangirling. So I hold off unless I have something to say.

But after chapter 19, I found that I had a lot to say. Esme calls Edward out on his love for Bella. She becomes that cynical voice that asks if perhaps he is just transferring his notion of his ideal, his muse, onto Bella.

“Don’t you see, darling, you love what you think she is.”

This really made me think about how willing I am to believe in "fate" when I am reading a fic -- as a justification for E & B being together. It doesn't take much to convince me of their love because of how deeply invested I have been in all of these Edwards and Bellas. That I want so much for them to end up together that I never question how they know they are really in love, AND whether that love is real.

But this chapter 19 of The Lost Boys has me questioning how quickly I am willing to jump into bed with the notion of Edward and Bella's love as everlasting, when I'm reading a fanfic. First Esme's words and then Bella's recollection of her professor's words.

"From the darkness, the wretched words of Vandin cut into me. He’ll tell you all the sweet things you want to hear, all that tripe about love, but it’s not you he’s in love with. It’s an ideal he has in his mind, you know that. The more artistic the worse they are. I bet you he’ll call you his muse and write all the music in the world to you. But it’s not you. And in a little while, after he’s had his fill of fucking you, he’ll see the cracks, see you for who you really are, look for that muse somewhere else."

I hadn't really thought about it when he said this initially in the story because of how cruel he was being in saying it. But now, the seed of doubt has been planted. Since then I have been asking myself, How does he know that he loves HER and not the idea of her? I've been searching my brain for instances throughout the story where it is clearly this Bella that he is responding to.

I LOVE that this story plays with this notion! (It offers a nice little commentary on how fate is used in twi fanfiction, especially since so many fics rely on destiny to explain the story of these two lovers.) In The Lost Boys, hwimsey sets this up from the start, when Bella and Edward are told so early on in knowing each other that their love is a connection that is centuries old and lifetimes deep. And now, to force both characters to face their romanticized versions of each other and question who it is that they truly love... gah! It takes this ethereal eternal notion of love and gives it a real-world reckoning.

And the question becomes, will Edward and Bella's love be real enough to get through this reality check. I can't wait to find out!! If this can be reconciled then perhaps their love truly was meant to be!

Also, having the characters actually interacting with the ghosts of other lifetimes, trying to reunite lovers who are meant to be together -- it's a brilliant extension of the threads of fate and love being woven throughout this story.

Oh, and by the way, the hotness that is chapter 20: Home
http://www.twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=4516&textsize=0&chapter=20
Yeah... that made it onto the HOTNESS Hall of Fame. Obviously.

Total sidebar: hwimsey has made an AWESOME site for her story with all the links relating to it in there. 

Just One of the Guys by SorceressCirce

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4861063/1/

Scarred by events in her past, Bella relies heavily on her best friend and roommate, Jasper. When Jasper falls in love with a girl named Alice, Bella is excited for him but can’t help but wonder – where will she fit in? Canon pairings, AH/AU, OOC

ACTUAL FULL REVIEW IS STILL TO COME

Another great fic. Bella is really damaged with SERIOUS issues to overcome in order to make her love with Edward work. Yet the fic is balanced with the true friendship of Jasper, the fun quirks of gamer-Bella, and the hot hot UST. Dungeons and Dragons with the wolf pack; WoW raids; X-Men tshirts, what what? Best Jasper ever. And Pinkieward, for god sakes. Pinkieward. 

Oh, and John Donne's "Air and Angels"

http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/airangels.php

Reviewed by the PPSS:

http://www.pervpackssmutshack.com/2009/09/just-one-of-guys-by-sorceresscirce.html

Creature of Habit by EZRocksAngel

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4769414/1/

Bella begins working for the elusive and distant Edward Cullen who she discovers is hiding behind an elaborate charade to maintain his secret lifestyle. Bella is determined to find out the mysteries of Edward Cullen but with what results? AU, OOC.

Loved this - Edward as Bruce Wayne... CEO by day, Batman-like vigilante at night. Not to mention, who doesn't love OCDward?

ACTUAL REVIEW STILL TO COME

The List by LauraACullen

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4934524/1/

Official Description: Four weeks before her wedding to Edward, Bella is frustrated. She knows there's little-to-no chance of getting him to bend his rules and boundaries now, but there's no harm in fantasizing about what could happen later. So she begins compiling a list...  VampAU COMPLETE

This story is understandably a classic in the Twific fandom. The brilliance and hotness go hand-in-hand. Even the banner is ridiculously hot.

ACTUAL FULL REVIEW IS STILL TO COME
But in the meantime...

The chapters I revisit again and again:

Chapter 6 Unexpected
I added Chapter 6 to the HOTNESS folder [of my bookmarks] due to the ridiculous hotness that lay within. Just ridiculously hot. Edward comes back from a hunt to find Bella dreaming. Of him. Quite vividly. When she wakes up, he asks her about her dream, she gets flustered. So he demands, "Tell me." She starts describing her elicit dream, but he cuts her off and says the hottest words ever, "Show me." HAWT. 


Chapter 10 Control
Bella takes control and pushes Edwards boundaries, keeping his hands busy with his leather couch. Damn, Bella. Who knew you had it in you? Check out my totally articulate review for this chapter.

Review for Ch 10 (9/3/2009)

Hot FRickety hotness. Damn. Hot.

Just when I think this story can't get any hotter, you go and blow my mind. Fo real. Hot.

Chapter 11 Music
I had Chapter 11 bookmarked in the "MUSIC" subfolder of moments in fic where music plays a particularly special role. This is the chapter where Edward catches Bella trying to figure out Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on the piano, and she describes the song as melancholy with tinges of hopefulness. When I opened my little youtube tab to listen to the song as I read, I found the song to embody that description beautifully and accurately. By the way, this chapter also makes it into the HOTNESS folder for the fun little encounter that ensues. 

Review for Ch 11 (9/3/2009)
Clearly, you have a gift.

Tropic of Virgo by in_a_blue_bathrobe

http://www.twilighted.net/viewstory.php?sid=3138

Official Description: He's a young but jaded keyboard player writing lyrics for his band, Breaking Dawn, and she's a naive and frustrated poet looking to break out of her shell; their words collide on-line. What happens when they meet in high school, unaware of their literary connection? OOC, canon at heart.

Tropic of Virgo was the first fic I read where music plays a role way beyond setting the mood of a chapter. In.A.Blue.Bathrobe incorporates lyrics and poetry and performance - all of which brings the characters' creative process to life and heightens the reader's understanding of the characters' inner state. 

When it starts out, Edward appears to be a wannabe rockstar manwhore. Bella seems to be just a shy ordinary girl. But their online exchanges as Debussey_88 and Ordinary_Girl reveal the emotion and creativity that is going on inside. They unknowingly share this seamless online connection, while in real life they struggle to get on the same page. What sets this story apart from the average high school fic: the way Edward and Bella are able to bond through music makes the growing depth of their connection so visceral. And in.a.blue.bathrobe's writing brings me into that moment. (And god bless her for that. 2 words: piano bench.)


The supporting characters have such an interesting dynamic as they are both bandmates and family. I usually can't stand an ice-queen Rosalie, but the way she initiates Bella into their world is one of my alltime FAVORITE moments in fic. Bella understands that she must prove that she can hang and she and Rosalie engage in a showdown of sorts - Rosalie rocking out on guitar and Bella breaking out the soulful vocals.

I wandered up the stairs, looking for Rose.

Her room had the least amount of windows and the most mirrors. The decor was more baroque than gothic, with gold leaf and red velvet everywhere.  I handed her the drink in greeting, and she held it out for a mute toast.  She downed her shot, and I sipped mine.

I felt like I was being tested by her silence. I wasn’t sure that she had ever even spoken to me. Even now, she sat cross legged on her bed and watched me. I turned to look at her. She quirked an elegant eyebrow at me and picked up a red electric guitar. I grinned back, recognizing a challenge, and sunk to the floor, sitting sprawled out on the sheepskin rug at her feet. It was an act of polite submission, and she nodded, accepting the gesture like a queen.

Then she thumbed two unmistakable opening notes and let them whine.

Oh, no. Rosalie, you BITCH.

I tossed the drink down my throat, breathing through the alcohol fire. It was the only warm up I would get.

The next two notes were a higher echo of the first. She smirked, daring me.

I gave her a black look and took a deep breath.

She threw me the last intro note, and let it warble. I sang:

“Been dazed and confused for so long it’s not true, wanted a woman, never bargained for you…”

I gave the lyrics my best reedy wail, surreal and feminine, finding pain and letting it arc through the words.  Rose’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Lots of people talk and few of them know, soul of a woman was created below…”

We screamed the next chords together, my voice cascading over her strings, and then I floated into her solo. She played her refrain and nodded my cue. I took the next verse with a sinister whisper. The starkness of just my voice and her guitar, without the familiar drums or bass, made it our own.  We weren’t trying to sound like anyone else, just a broken throat and a tortured guitar. Rosalie heard it, too, because her tone shifted, sadder, lighter, somehow more female.  I caught her eyes and took a deep breath. She understood, and followed me into the next verse, skipping the instrumental refrain so we wouldn’t lose momentum. Then she led me into the duet.

She trilled the note. I wordlessly mimicked it.

Again.

She modulated, bringing it closer to my vocal rasp. I crooned, barely moving my lips, sweetening it to her chord.

Again, harder, with an echo.

There was a gasp behind us. I started to cringe, but Rose caught my eyes fiercely and wouldn’t let me look away.  She let it wail, and I did too, crying out my ridiculous fear until it became my own to control, blending with her, to just a moan in my throat, held and drifting. I let it fade. She skipped the drum solo again and went straight to the thrash refrain, and I sang into it, fitting into her chords but never taking it away from her, back-up vocal harmony. Her hands moved so fast, they were blurry.

Then she gave me the last chorus, and I led the duet this time, calling the first note, mouth open wide.

She followed, pushing me slightly.

I met her pace, impatient guitar stroking my voice, until we were one thing.

I held the last note, and so did she. Then she grinned, and I nodded, and she crashed the closing chords on my scream.

I sat there, panting.

“Holy Mother of God,” whispered Jasper.

“That was sex!” screamed Alice.

“I feel left out,” said Emmett.

Rosalie looked over at Edward and said, “She’ll do.”

Rosalie's aloofness could easily be written off as bitchiness, but the understanding that is built between her and Bella through music gives her depth that makes her character interesting. I am by no means a Rosalie fan but the idea of her rockin out smooth and soulful licks on her guitar... pretty frickin hot.

And the description of how it sounds -- makes me wish there was a movie of this fic just so there could be a soundtrack. Some killer singer would do Bella's vocals on this soundtrack, and I'd be able to rock out to the amazing talent that blue.bathrobe so compellingly describes.

Tropic of Virgo remains a classic. No other fic has come close to how ToV takes the reader inside the process of making music. I love the drive that these characters have that compels them express themselves. I enjoy indulging in the turmoil and drama in their lives. It's a fun read and truly original.

.

Show Me o/s by booboo.kitty2.0

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4871375/1/

Description:

An entry for *A Twilight Teasing Story Contest* Bella comes into her room, fresh from the shower, wrapped in only a towel, to find Edward lounging on her bed instead of out hunting like he's supposed to be. Slightly OOC Edward, but not too much.




ONESHOT HOTNESS!!

Family Therapy Cullen Style by vjgm

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3883938/1/

Description:

Carlisle has had it with the children's constant bickering so he sends the Cullen's to family therapy. Suicidal Edward,Bella's fear of committment, Alice addicted to shopping, Rosalie's hostility, Emmett and Japer's gambling..who will survive? FUNNY    VampAU COMPLETE cracktastic

Notes:

Bella is still human, and she and Edward are not yet married but they have graduated from High school. Tensions have been running high in the house so they are all on edge and short with each other so they are slightly OOC.. just warning you...




ACTUAL REVIEW IS STILL TO COME

10 Steps To Seducing Your Hot Virgin Vampire BF by halojones

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4112891/1/

Description:

This story starts off after Edward rebuffs Bella's modest advances in their newly acquired bed in Edward's room. But things take a turn for the better for these two lovesick kids when Alice takes things into her own hands. Never bet against Alice!  VampAU  COMPLETE  cracktastic

REVIEW IS STILL TO COME

Midnight Desire by Twilightzoner

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4392180/1/

ACTUAL REVIEW IS STILL TO COME

Description:

An All Human parody of Midnight Sun. AH, AU and consequently OOC. No blood lust - just uncontrollable human lust. Smut filled fun . . .

Notes:

A/N: It was said of early vampire books and movies that vampirism was simply a poorly disguised substitute for sex. Back in the day, the entire genre was considered extremely risque'. With that in mind, this is an ALL HUMAN parody of Midnight Sun replacing all the vampirism with sexuality - no blood lust - just extreme human lust. Serious SMUT warning. If you're used to my romantic love stories, this ain't it. You have been warned . . .
All the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, although she might not recognize them . . .
ALL ARE HUMAN!

Surprises o/s by KatieBelleCullen

HOTTEST ONESHOT EVER

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4613157/1/

Official Description:

Edward surprises Bella after a rather personal and intimate moment. But the real surprise is his reaction. My entry for the Dirty Talking Edward Contest. Rated M for a reason.

PM I sent KBC  (2/5/10)
re: Golden Lemon Awards Nom for Best Dirty Talk  

Subject: Hot Surprises and Golden Lemons

Hi! I nominated your story Surprises for a Golden Lemon award for "Best Dirty Talk" because it remains one of my go-to lemons. I am THRILLED because you made it to the voting round. in case you haven't heard about it..  

Here's the site for the awards: 
http://www.goldenlemonawards.com/  
Here's the ballot where you can go vote for yourself and all the other hot lemons: 
http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=CKIMG_4740598c  


Good luck! I'll be voting for you :) -- Althea

Reply from KBC  (2/7/10)
re: Golden Lemon Awards Nom  

Hey!

Wow, thanks so much! I'm shocked and flattered! That was very cool of you, even though I can't believe my little one-shot got nominated along with such great stories. I appreciate it so much - you made me grin big, bb! ;D

3 Katie

Unexpected by ooohlalaaa

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4958898/1/

Description: In their junior year of college, an unexpected event forces Bella, Rosalie, and Alice to become involved with three people they never normally would have, completely changing their lives around. Fluff/Humor B&E/Canon Couples AH, OOC COMPLETE

THIS IS IN MY TOP 5 FAVES. It was pulled. I might have cried. And then, she offered to send me a copy. And I rejoiced. Even though it's pulled, this sucker will get a full-on review when I get the chance. Why? Because of THIS EDWARD - an aloof artist sweetheart stoner with a prize of a pierced peen.