. . . Looking back on April

Ah April, when I still had time to read fic. I remember that time fondly. Damn you, new full-time job! My life as a full-time fic reader came to an end at the end of April. It's great to actually have money coming in now. Afterall, I do like food and shelter. But I long for the 'luxury' that unemployment afforded -- all day fic reading marathons. *I miss you, FF.net*

Anyway, to reel it in a bit, here's what I read in April :)

Completed fics that I enjoyed:
Aegis by mothlights
Type O Negative by quothme
Get Me To You by Chicklette

Fics I checked out due to Indies:
Becoming Bella Swan by BellaFlan
Neverending Math Equation by twanza
Eclipsed Heart by Buff82

Love in My Box by cosmoandmarvar
I saw that there's a team for this fic for FGB and wanted to check it out. I figured that if I like it, I'd want to contribute. And I love it, and I will :)

Cosmo and Marvar bring the funny. I love being inside the heads of their Edward and Bella. Adorable email back and forth between an innocent geeky Edward and a smart Bella who enjoys pushing his buttons and pushing his boundaries -- all mitigated by long distance communication. I love seeing how emboldened they are by the distance. There are flashbacks to their 1 night stand. There are present-day interactions as E and B process this new relationship with their friends Rosalie and Emmett. And the sweetest image of Edward reading to Bella under a tree.


Uncomfortable by Savannah-Vee
Started this as a oneshot when it won Best Angst for the Slash Backslash contest. It's gone on as a multichapter fic. It's Jasper/Edward, but it is never as simple as that. Alice brings Jasper home to meet her family and is taken aback by the piercing stare of Alice's brother Edward. "The way he looks at me makes me feel...uncomfortable." 

This Edward is either a truly confused person, or a cruel self-hating player. Not sure yet which it is. I'd like to think it's the former but he is constantly acting the latter. Poor Jasper is just trying to come to grips with the realization that he's gay, and all Edward does is toy with Jasper's feelings and growing Edward-obsession. Savannah-Vee truly makes it difficult for me to love this Edward: he is constantly cockblocking Jasper's happiness. I'm curious to see how it all plays out.

Just Wait by InstantKarmaGirl
I saw that this has been a juggernaut due to the massive number of people who tweet about it. I was told there is major heartfail, so as a precaution, I planned to wait until it was Completed. But when it was chosen as the first Fic Club selection, I decided to get on board. I literally read this puppy all. night. long. I couldn't stop. I knew I had shit to do the next day, but I had to know what happens for these two damaged but lovable characters.

I'm going to write a full on post for Just Wait, but in the meantime:

I was obsessed with knowing the secret behind Bella and StutterWard's brokenness. I also 'had to know' if their relationship would progress. If they are going to be able to find salvation in each other. What I really like is that I don't think IKG is going to offer her characters salvation. I think she is presenting us with 2 people who are trying to survive their drama, not working to solve it outright. And I also respect how they are not 2 injured birds reconciling with their pasts, they are individuals whose everyday lives are a continual struggle. Edward continues to face the daily torment and social disconnect of having a speech impediment. Bella continues to suffer a cycle of having no regard for her own well being, thus finding herself in situations in the present that reverberate the trauma of the past.


I like how Edward and Bella's issues are sort of extensions of personality types exhibited in Twilight. In Twilight, Edward is completely isolated from his peers. He is unable to relate to their trivial minutia, largely because of his "gift" of being able to see into their mundane minds. Just Wait's Stutterward isn't exactly isolated because of a "gift" but rather an affliction that prevents him from freely expressing himself. Twilight Bella and Just Wait Bella share a common disregard for their personal safety. In seeking out what they want, both Bellas end up putting their well being on the line.