Team Anything Goes has Potential

"Team Anything Goes" is pretty self-explanatory. Anything Goes and we do mean anything.

We are Hope aka manyafandom, Jeanne aka einfach_mich, Kathy aka mskathy, Kim aka kimpy0464 and Stephie aka 4theluvofmary.

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Potential

Rosmarina

Edward Cullen, journalist for the college paper, has despised jocks since high school. What happens when he’s assigned to interview Emmett McCarty, a decathlon athlete who challenges Edward’s every stereotype? Rate M for language, slash & graphic lemons.

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Let me start by saying I'm not usually a fan of Gaymett, but this one is an exception. I really dig this Emmett, gay or otherwise. Yes he's a jock, but that's not all he is. I love that Rosmarina added depth to Emmett. Whereas most of the time he becomes the cliched Dumb Jock. It's rather refreshing!

This story is about looking beyond preconceived notions to what truly lies underneath. And maybe finding what you didn't even know you where looking for...and it has two hot dudes. What's not to love? Edward is sure of what Emmett is and find himself delightfully surprised, when it turns out he was wrong. He's also dealing with an unexpected attraction to someone that is physically so not his type.

These two build the slow burn of attraction to each other. Playing it cool, while internalizing their attraction to the other. There is overt, coy flirting and dancing around each other. I kinda love it. They don't instantly go at each other and fall into bed or the nearest flat, stable surface. Don't get me wrong, there are smutty fun times! Yay! The flirting becomes more pronounced and the tension ramps up. There's a encounter in a locker room that is all kinds of steamy.

I can't wait to see where she takes these two!


One of the great things about Slash, other than hot boys getting sexy with each other, it's getting to see two characters in a different light. Now, this does not mean Out Of Character. In fact, that is often a bit of an issue with some slash fics, but that's not an issue with Potential. In fact, one of the things that I love about this story is how In Character Emmett and Edward are, despite being human and very gay.

Potential is the story of two very different men who slowly but surely come to respect and eventually (I hope) love each other. Emmett is strong, confident and sweet natured. Edward is focused, idealist and a little arrogant. This story could have easily been a “opposites attract” cliché, but Rosmarina shows how their personalities compliment each other, much as they do in canon.

Here Edward's natural tendency to make assumptions based on his own personal experiences misleads him when he sets out to interview Emmett, a local athlete. Edward is a talented journalist, that normally does a column on the local music scene, and he think he's above interview some jock. During the drive from Seattle to Portland, Emmett careful overturns every assumption that Edward has made about him.

I love these two, and more importantly I love them together. They play a flirty game of cat and mouse, around Emmett's sexuality as Edward's interest in him grows from a professional to something more. He's not the only one who's interested.

This story is detail, well crafted and very realistic. The UST in the first chapter is Un-Fucking-believable! There were times where it had be chewing on my own hand as I read, just waiting for one of them to finally giving into their intense sexual chemistry. When they finally get together, it's hot, fast and well done.

I have openly proclaim that I am NOT a Wusperv, but I must admit there is one genre of fic that never fails to reduce me to a big schmoopy mess, and that's Slash. I love to see them win out against all odds. I cheer when they finally proclaim their love, and I ball like a bitch when they get their HEA.

I'm hoping for a Happy Ending for this Emmett and Edward. They are quickly becoming my new favorite slash ship. I am sure, if you put on your big girl pants, and give Potential a chance, you'll feel the same.


Kathy is away playing with Mickey Mouse and the gang and wasn't able to leave a review. We'll let her slide this one time ;P


Back when I first started to read Fan Fiction, I was simply a canon girl. All this “Alternate Universe” and “All Human” stuff made NO sense to me. Although I’m laughing as I write this, there was once upon a time (it was a very, very short amount of time, mind you), it gave me the shudders to think of slash when it comes to Twilight. That isn’t to say I was anti-slash; on the contrary, I am rather zealous about my slash. I love it, but with a caveat: It must be well written, accurate, and realistic. In my mind, the concepts of “FF” and “good slash” were mutually exclusive.

Well, all that fell quickly to the wayside when I learned about a little story called “All I Ever Knew” by someone known as “Manyafandom.” Yes, kids, our very own Hopey was the one who popped my Twi FF Slash Cherry. MsKathy’s stories were soon to follow. Finally, someone who understood how hot it is to watch two guys make out!!

By and large, much of the FF slash I’ve read has left me feeling somewhat hollow. Mind you, I am not unaware of the fact that it is a challenge to write good male/male slash when you are a straight female. However, many of the gay male relationships in Twi FF seem more like a male/female relationship than male/male. That’s where I get all tripped up. I’m a total hag, and I know how my ghey boys usually roll. It is often about hot men having hot sex, and then getting to know each other later.

Another problem I’ve found to be inherent within Twi FF male slash is that the pairings tend to be Edward/Jasper, or, sometimes, Edward/Carlisle. While I have nothing against reading these kinds of stories (hell, I have many of them in my favorites list), it would be really nice to see something else for a change. Enter a little story called “Potential.”

This is a coupling of Emmett and Edward, so my interest was immediately piqued. Emmett is often written so macho that you couldn’t imagine him being gay. Rosmarina does an admirable job of infusing the stereotypical Emmett qualities into her incarnation of the character, while still making him believably gay. This Emmett is kind, affable, funny, and loveable, and adorably modest about his physical attributes.

The story, which is a continuation of a one-shot, pairs Edward, the reporter, with his assigned subject matter, Emmett, the Decathlete. Edward is not thrilled to have to complete a spread on a stupid jock. He is a bit of an intellectual snob, and thinks the job is beneath him. Naturally, Emmett wins him over during the weekend they are forced to travel together to and from a meet in Oregon.

Edward comes with a little bit of baggage (what gay guy doesn’t?), but he is, as always, a beautiful, lean, intelligent incarnation. He doesn’t fall for guys like Emmett. Except, apparently, that he does now. The manner in which Emmett reveals his sexual orientation to Edward is a very poignant, but matter-of-fact, moment. Edward so doesn’t want to fall for this guy, but he just can’t help himself. They end up having a fuckhot session where they wank each other off and exchange some pretty steamy BJs in the locker room. I was impressed with the way the author describes rimming without actually using the term.

Naturally, once these boys get back to their real lives, things become more complicated. As a journalist, Edward’s choice to get involved with his subject matter flirts with some ethical boundaries. While Emmett is not in the closet per se, he is also not loud and proud, either. His coach, family, and close friends know, but that is about it. They both need to overcome these issues if they want to be together. After a slight amount of UST, Emmett ends up in Edward’s room, where neither one can deny their chemistry nor their lust. I absolutely love the way she describes their interaction with one another—rather than rehashing Stephenie Meyer’s “electricity” when Edward and Bella touch, Rosmarina refers to their connection as “kinetic”:

In those romance novels Rosie read there was always some kind of spark or electricity when the potential lovers eventually kissed. No, when Edward finally pressed his mouth against mine it wasn't electric; it was fucking kinetic. It was a triggered spring that set us both in perpetual motion.

This piece has all the elements of a romantic story: Compelling characters, undeniable chemistry and mutual attraction, and fuckhot man-on-man schmex. While there are only five chapters so far, including the one-shot and a “preview” chapter, I’m really anxious to see where she takes these boys.


Normally when I think of Twilight slash, Edward and Jasper come to mind. So most of the slash I read sticks to that ship. When I discovered Potential was an Edward/Emmett fic, I was somewhat hesitant. It's like Emmett, eternal pussy lover, is just burned in my brain. Rosmarina proved that E/Em is not only believable, but sexy as hell. Edward is a journalist at UDub, assigned to cover one of the school's track stars. Enter Emmett McCarty. He's instantly likable and a little bit mysterious since his sexual orientation can go either way. Like Edward, I found myself having a hard time resisting Emmett's charm.

I loved having the original o/s from Edward's POV because you get a good feel of how conflicted he is. He had a hard break up. His childhood was pretty awful thanks to one Royce King. It seems as though he doesn't really want to give anyone a chance to get close, despite his fortune cookie saying otherwise. When he finally let's down his guard in the locker room...well, let's just say both men were able to take a load off. Ahem.

Emmett's POV is refreshing because he is so honest and down to earth. He also retains that "manly" athletic type of character so commonly associated with him. What is different is his sometimes insecurity with his bulk. I kinda like that. It shows a vulnerabilty that is endearing.

I'm really excited to see how things work out between these two when the article on Emmett is published. Will there be any backlash despite those supportive of both men? How will they cope? And really...when do we get some more down and dirty?


I think this is the first time I have ever read an entirely EmPOV story, and I have to say it is a hell of a cherry popper. This Emmett is the bear of a man that we know and love, but at the same time he is introspective and unsure. He is not afraid to say what he wants and what he is feeling, but we also get to see the person putting themselves out there and fearing rejection. One might think that this would make the writing confused, but Rosmarina writes it in such a way that you believe that he is the confident man he projects, but he too has his Achilles heel. In this case, he just doesn't want to have his emotions toyed with. In that way, it is nice to see a mature Emmett
who is often left as the comedic release. This is a grown man with goals and who knows who he is.

Edward, in this case, seems a little less self assured when the story begins, but as we see that he is just internalizing his battles with his ethics as a writer falling for his subject. He wants to prove that he can be a good journalist, because that IS what he is passionate about, but at the same time, cannot ignore the pull of this surprising man that has been put in his path.

When it comes to the sexy times, I have to admit, the first time I was biting my nails just WAITING for someone to walk in on them. I almost, I repeat almost, couldn't enjoy the moment, because of the anxiety. As for Emmett's rush over to Edward's apartment, I loved it. He had all
he needed to hear in Edward's admission to starting to fall for him, he wasn't going to let a seed of doubt slip in. Instead, we see passion and Edward taking the aggressor role. Finally, your Slash Award nomination for best Hand Job is well earned, as we watch these two stroke and lavish attention upon each other in a way I have neverread and made me wish I had a peen.

This story is a breath of fresh air, and I look forward to reading more!

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Gotta a rec for Team Anything Goes? Send it to me at kathy@pervpackssmutshack.com