Monday, October 18, 2010

Slash Brigade: One-Shots

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This Month's Slash Brigade Pick is...

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Title: This is What You Give Up
Author: HelenahJay
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,359
Reviews: 14
Summary: After Rosalie tells Bella about her history in Eclipse, Bella comes back with questions for Rosalie. Canon AU.


Jeanne - Femslash is a tricky thing to write, especially in Twilight fandom. The female characters are so different, and the lines between them are drawn so deeply that at times it can be difficult seeing them even liking each other, much less loving. Of course that just makes me want Twi Femslash all the more.

Bella and Rosalie are a strange mixture in canon. Strength, defiance, and deep love are traits that both these women share, and yet they are at odds through most of the series. This palpable tension translates into a delicious UST in HelenahJay’s This is What You Give Up. This story reads like a missing moment, and to me, it is one. A wonderful, seductive possibility of sexual connection between two women who share so much while still being worlds apart.

Teal - Someone once told me how much she really wanted to read an Eclipse breakaway AU scene of Bella and Rosalie. I’m sure if she’s read this she’s satisfied with it. Rose is surprisingly canon in this story -- honest, blunt, and reasonably bitchy -- but you can’t help wanting her to make something happen, no matter what her attitude or motivation. Her repetition of “This is what you give up,” with each suggestive touch drives home her ultimate point, all the while making the naughty hotness of it all resonate. It’s definitely a femmeslash o/s worth reading.

Chele - This is What You Give Up has two things that I absolutely love: red-hot femslash, and convincing AU. Bella approaches Rosalie to ask what she will miss the most about being human. Bella knows Rosalie will give her a straightforward answer, but the answer she receives is an exceptional illustration of the powers of the human body.

HelenahJay does something here that I wouldn’t have thought possible. She pairs Rosalie and Bella in an intense and sexual encounter while retaining their canon personalities. Not possible, you say? I would have said the same thing. I am convinced. And hot and bothered.

Jen - This Is What You Give Up is an Eclipse AU Bella/Rose femmeslash story--a canon story at that. Say what? Bella and Rose? In canon, Bella’s afraid of Rosalie’s bite, and Rosalie is not at all afraid to unleash her bark on her brother’s beloved. This o/s takes place after the conversation in Eclipse where Rosalie tells Bella the story of her turning. Though the walls between them came down for that conversation, they’re back up, at least on Rosalie’s side, in this o/s.

What happens between Rosalie and Bella is more mind game than seduction. HelenahJay does an amazing job of not only making the scenario believable, but of setting the story firmly within canon. Her Rosalie absolutely matches Stephenie Meyers’ characterization--bitchy, aloof, and mostly concerned with the way things affect her life. I think you’ll be surprised at how HelenahJay leads up to the lemon and thrilled with how sexy it is. You may even find yourself re-reading it to make sure you thoroughly absorb all of the nuances of Rosalie’s psyche, as I did.

Kimpy - I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t read a ton of Twi femslash. For some reason, I’ve always been obsessed with the peens; go figure! While canon Rosalie is one of my least favorite characters, there is no denying her unique, ice queen, sexual appeal. While I may not want to become BFFs with canon Rose, I certainly wouldn’t turn her down for a nice snog. Just saying.

In This is What You Give Up, Bella and Rosalie revisit the issue of Bella choosing to become a vampire. The difference in this conversation, however, is that Rose does a lovely job of showing Bella what will change when she becomes a vampire, as opposed to merely telling her. Not gonna lie, I find her argument far more convincing when she lets her body do the talking. The great thing about the one-shot, however, isn’t just the hot encounter between these two women--it’s that HelenahJay maintains Rose’s canon demeanor throughout the scene. There is no grand moment of emotional connection between these two, but it is still just as poignant a moment as the original scene in Eclipse.

AND

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Title: The City
Author: ArtBeatsandLife
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,000
Reviews: 16
Summary: Emmett & Paul spot each other on a NYC train, but the moment passes...or does it? A slash romance with a bunch of usual suspects from Twilight, plus tattoos, steel & a black eye to round things out. Rated M for Major Lemons & Language - AH/AU


Chele - Whenever someone asks for a slash pairing prompt, my answer is almost always the same: Emmett/Paul. The thought of that much explosive strength writhing together is fucking hot, and I hadn’t been able find it anywhere. I secretly worried that my fantastical expectations were so high, that no story would live up to them. I am SO glad to be wrong.

The City is so well-crafted that I was surprised to find that this was ArtBeatsandLife’s first foray into the world of slash pairings. Both Emmett and Paul are written with uncompromising masculinity. ArtBeatsandLife capitalized on both Emmett’s quiet intensity and Paul’s apparent volatility. I love that she channeled Paul’s penchant for violence into the structured world of a fighting ring. Though I am normally unimpressed with the world of sport fighting, the way she describes Paul with the fresh scrapes and bruises and pumped with adrenaline from a winning match is erotic.

ArtBeatsandLife has a gift for writing smut, and The City is no exception. I would have been perfectly happy if she’s have written a little PWP, but the characterizations and scene make for perfect tension. Emmett and Paul’s interactions are exactly the explosive I had hoped for with this pairing, and so much more.


Jeanne - When I was new to the fandom I asked a seasoned fandom author why there wasn’t more Emmett smut, specifically Emmett slash. I was told that Emmett was the “big brother” in canon, and that few fangirls could see him “in that way.” Well, ladies times have fucking changed. Thank Jebus!

In The City, ArtBeatsandLife not only weaves a realistic story of two men falling in love. Oh and please, let’s be clear these are men, manly men. Paul is a boxer, and we get to see him in action. Emmett is a working class guy, and yet doesn’t lose any of this brawn physic. These men are hot, intense and so vulnerable that it makes my heart ache for them.

From the first scene I fell in love with this world, these men, and the love that they share. Forget your preconceived notions about canon, these characters and slash. Open your mind to a beautiful story about two people finding each other and love in wide sprawling landscape of New York City. Get caught up in their lives, and their close friends. Allow yourself to be enchanted by this fabulous fic, that happens to be about two men falling in love.

Jen - Two strangers stare at each other across a crowded train. They feel a connection that isn’t broken until one of them exits the train at their stop. In a city of millions, what are the odds that they’ll find each other again? Fortunately, this is fic and not real life (although I’m certain stranger things have worked out in NYC), and in Artbeatsandlife’s The City these two fine men do indeed find each other again.

As the other ladies on The Slash Brigade could tell you, I’m fond of Alex Meraz, extremely fond. It was very easy for me to read The City and see Alex as Paul, charming the pants off of Emmett. I’m not a fan of boxing, but the way that Artbeatsandlife describes Paul makes me squirm.

He was lean in all of the places he should be, and had thick muscle along his arms, legs and thighs. He was focused, as his coach animatedly yelled something in his ear, beat on his chest, and rubbed his shoulders. And honestly, with the way those eyes darkened as he stared at the other guy in gold shorts across the ring, I felt seriously bad for the guy.


Right? Unf!

Emmett is handsome, smart, and so captivated by Paul. It’s wonderful to see Emmett so affected--he can hardly form a sentence the first time they talk. So often in slash one man is described as being slighter than the other man. Not so here, they are both men, capital M. And boy is it hot. I sure wouldn’t mind if Artbeatsandlife decided she had to tell us just a little bit more about Paul and Emmett’s lives.


Kimpy - Okay, okay, now that we move onto the peenslash, my pulse has quickened and my eyes have perked up. While I have been strictly a vampiregirl from the moment I first read Twilight, I have a confession to make: The minute I saw the trailer for New Moon, and saw Alex Meraz as Paul, my heart might have skittered a beat or two. If ever I had to give up vamps and go for wolves, Paul would be my meal of preference. And while I love Emmett as a character, he has never really turned my crank sexually; I’m all about the lean, tall boys. However, think back to the scene in Eclipse, when the Cullens and the wolves were chasing Victoria, and Emmett clashed with Paul. Oh, the anger, the brawn, the competitiveness? UNG. So when Team Slash wanted to review The City, I was chomping at the bit. The possibilities for red hot boysex in this pairing are endless.

When Emmett’s eyes lock upon Paul’s as they are riding the train, and Paul’s eyes continue to burn a hole into Emmett, I needed to loosen my collar in order to breathe properly. By the time he smirks--smirks!!--at Emmett, I was gone. Imagine an anger management session being translated into a sexual encounter, and you have ArtBeatsandLife’s lovely pairing between these two strong men. You can almost smell the testosterone emanating from the screen. *excuses self to get some alone time with the boys*

Teal - Emmett and Paul? Uh . . . yes, please! ArtBeatsandLife loves some Emmett. And those wolf boys. Put those together into a tasty slashy package, and you’ll be drooling over the fiery dynamic. There’s just something about the way these two characters are canonically prone to aggression and loyalty that translates so well into this fic. And if that’s not enough, the gorgeous descriptions are enough to make you fall off your chair.

He was more than beautiful.
His body was built from God himself; I could see that even under the leather motorcycle jacket, simple white tee and jeans he wore. His broad chest swelled and then narrowed at his waist. I swallowed, trying to find some moisture, because my mouth had gone bone dry.
His thighs...were...awe-inspiring.
Sinew and packed muscle.
From where I sat, I could see that he was tall, and he seemed fixated on whatever it was that had captured his interest out the window. He was brooding, and focused, and deep in thought.
I...I...needed to know who this guy was.



See what I mean?

Not to mention the shower sex. Guh. Two beautiful boys all hot and wet and soapy? Give. Me. More.

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