Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Team Anything Goes has a little "Hair of the Dog"


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

We are Bethis aka EJ Santry,Hope aka manyafandom, and Jeanne aka einfach_mich.



Hair of the Dog

mjinaspen

AH. A few peaks into the volatile, passionate, and occasionally sweet love affair between Edward Cullen and Leah Clearwater.



After reading through Hair of the Dog, I find myself wondering why more people don't put Edward and Leah together in fic. In canon, they are both emotionally complex characters, and in this fic, I feel that they really are identical to their canon counterparts. Leah is angry and has been through the emotional ringer. Life has left her a bit distrusting and needful to be self-sufficient. Edward, on the other hand, is a man of leisure. He is free to do what he wishes, with no real obligation. He acts as a man who has never been made to be responsible for his impact on others. In fact, I am not sure he has ever been made to do much of anything.

Most of all, I feel these two never seem to be on the same page. We see this from their very first interaction. Leah is looking for a quick lay, and Edward, instead, gives her softness.

We settled facing each other on our haunches, naked in the middle of my childhood bed, holding hands. There was something so innocent, so basic and raw in that moment. It was exhilarating, but I felt entirely exposed. Couldn't we just fuck? He was acting like we were getting ready to take a sacred vow.


Often times, as a reader, you can see his affection for her through his actions: he picks up her favorite wine when she is almost out, he gets her boots she wants and needs, and he lends her his car when he worries about her being safe. Unfortunately, he delivers these gives with asshole commentary, that it is hard to see his intention when his words are so harsh.

"I bought those boots you wanted. They're on the table. I don't know why you like them so much; they're fucking ugly. But the consumer reports all say they're the warmest boots you can buy," he had told me after I got frostbite from not having decent winter boots."


In the end, or beginning, as the story flows backwards chronologically, these two are explosive sexually. When in the throws of passion, and their mouths are shut, their sentiments come through. They truly connect. It is the times in-between where he is distant or cruel, and she is hiding behind her well-established walls, that it all falls to shit.

This story has soul melting sex and stabbing heartache. Love it.

4.5 out of 5 bottles of whiskey



Let's be honest here, I'm a huge Edward/Leah fan. I've been burning a candle in the window for these two crazy kids ever since I read the books. I have read just about every fic for this pairing on FanFiction.net. This one has to be one of my all time favorites.

The first time I read Hair of the Dog I was struck with how it is unlike most fics I've read in the Twilight fandom, not just because it's Edward/Leah, but because it's not telling what I could see as a conventional love story. This is more like the story of a relationship told backwards.

In the first chapter we hit the ground running, as mjinaspen drops us right in the middle of what has to be one of the most painfully realistic fight/break up scenes I have ever read. I've had this fight, I have heard and said these words. Even as I reread it, to write this rec, I felt my chest ache for these two, and oh my dear sweet readers, that pain only increases as the story continues.

Edward is an asshole. I'm not joking. mjinaspen often refers to him as Assward or Jerkward, and it's not to be cute. He earns this title fair and square. Just as Leah is an unapologetic bitch. They both say horribly hurtful things to each other, and yet, you can feel the emotions underneath, that drive the anger. You can see the way they fight, the words they don't see and the fuckhot sex they have. The only way to describe the sex these two have and that's incendiary.

There is an intensity between these two that is so tangible and at times frightening. I worry about these kids. I want to see them through this fucked up time. I want to show them they are really made for each other, and that are really in love with each other. That right there is probably the best proof of how well written and skillfully executed this story is.

At these times, between updates, I feel like I'm standing in the rain outside of mjinaspen's house just waiting for more. My heart hurts, and my mind aches as I wonder how it will end.

So, if you feel brave, grab your raincoat and join me. I'll hold your hand as watch these two crazy kids navigate the rough waters of love and heartache. I promise I'll hold you when it gets rough. I'm in it for the long haul, and if you open your heart to this lovely story you will be too.

5 out of 5 bottles of whiskey

The opening of Hair of the Dog is like stumbling upon the scene of an accident; wreckage and emotions everywhere. Like Jeanne, I read the first chapter with my heart in my throat, choking on the realism of a relationship’s last gasp. The level of pain which is conveyed in the first thousand words convince without a shadow of a doubt that a pairing of Leah/Edward works. You can’t reach these depths without having the equivalent heights.

As mjinaspen gives us the clues to piece together, it’s no surprise that this relationship was built on intense physical connection and an equally volatile emotional one. The smut amazingly hot and made me feel almost voyeuristic while reading. Chapter three left me panting. The scenes are infused with subtle descriptions which, in addition to creating a titillating scene, tell us so much about the character:

"So are you gonna use that thing or what?" I arched a brow toward his cock. He continued to stroke himself as I freed my hair from its confining bun."


I am completely torn between desiring hot, intense Edward, and being put off by his distance and ambiguity. He’s an artist, a philosopher, and he dresses like James fucking Dean. He could not be hotter if you lit him on fire. From the descriptions of their first meeting, there is no doubt that Edward is a smooth bastard. I love that Leah sees him coming a mile away and yet doesn’t stop herself from being drawn in.

Cullen was a fascinating cliché in his leather jacket, tattered jeans and t-shirt, and dusty boots. I was certain at some point in his life he had rolled a pack of cigarettes in the sleeve of his shirt. Tortured and mysterious. I was such a sucker.


No one gets out of this unscathed.The intensity which comes across while reading this is startling and leaves me aching to know the rest of the story.
So, yeah, if anyone needs me, I'm just going to grab my raincoat and I'll be with Jeanne.... begging for more.

4.5 out of 5 bottles of whiskey


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2 comments:

MJinAspen said...

You ladies ROCK. ILY <3

Cat Gardiene said...

I love this pairing and I love mjinaspen. The threesome is unbelievable.