Giving Thanks

The Pervy Ladies here at the Smut Shack have been feeling awfully appreciative lately to be involved in such a vibrant community full of strong, intelligent women (and super awesome Twiboys). We thought we’d take this opportunity to reflect on a few stories that we are particularly thankful to have had the opportunity to read, and give a little thanks to the authors that were good enough to share them with us.

Feel free to do the same, and share yours with us in the comments below.

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Chele is thankful for......
…... Homecoming by Winterstale, because it captures the passion and intensity of young love during war time. At this time of year, those brave souls who serve are never far from my heart. This story proved to me that fic could, indeed make me feel so deeply as to wrench a tear from my cold, cold heart.

…...NeverendingMathEquation, whose intricate and real characters exemplify why Happily Ever After is more about personal growth than romantic success. Twanza created an amazing story whose passion and complexity taught me that sometimes the key to living is to experience grand failure.The journey is always worth it. I have read this story a ridiculous number of times, and never fail to find new symbolism, or fall in love with every character. Especially Carlise... and Emmett... and Aro... You get the point.

…. The Book of Peter, because ElleCC gave me the happy ending for Son of a Preacher Man’s Jasper that I never knew I always wanted. LaViePastiche created such an amazingly layered character, and the resolution of that awesome story, while perfect and whole, left me aching for Jasper. I had become attached and invested. ElleCC made it alllllll better. She gave us an alternate where Jasper and Peter have soul wrenching and slightly awkward, yet incredibly hot sexytimes. My pants would like to write a separate Thank you note of their own to Elle.

…..Stories that make me love characters I am usually disinterested in. Forsight led me to find a kinship with Alice, who obviously shares my passion for a certain leading man. I won’t spoil the surprise, but DahliaBlack made me want to give Alice a high five by the time I was done reading this hot little story.

…..... stories like C56 by ss10, and The Beauty Within by afragilelittlehuman that have characters with a physical handicap who love and are loved without limitation, and whose sexuality isn’t treated as a fetish. I am thankful for the gift of perspective I’ve gotten from reading these stories, and for their quality and straightforward presentation. Thank you both for keeping it so real.

Jeanne is thankful for...

...brave writers like mothlights that wrote the amazing 5 Nights Near the Battlefield at Laredo. A lush, intricate, and flawlessly executed AU pre-canon fic, not only featuring a wonderfully characterized Jasper, but the fleshing out of the underutilized Volturi guard Chelsea. It is tragic that there aren’t more sexy, well written non-canon pairing fics like this in the Twilight fan fiction fandom. We would be the better for it. I know I’m better for having read and fallen in love with this enchanting story.

...that a talented writer like mjinaspen took a chance on writing a Leah/Edward story for a fan fiction challenge, and gave the world Hair of the Dog. This raw, real and skillfully crafted story not only showed the fandom the possibility of a different kind of HEA, but it taught more readers to love Leah, the way that I do. It is a dream come true to see such a wonderful story written so well, by amazing women like mjinaspen.

...A Tale of Two Cities by TruceOver showing without a shadow of a doubt that Twilight Fan Fiction is NOT dead! In fact, this wonderful, well written and compelling fan fiction only reminds me that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Twilight fan fiction. Thank you TruceOver for putting so much love and talent into this captivating story that truly transcends the genres of slash and fan fiction.

...sexy, seductive Blue Jeans and BandAids by YellowGlue. She not only showed us how insanely sexy canon Sam really is, but she also gave us a brave and crazy Bella that’s smart enough to take sexy risks, instead of stupid ones. I was wary of this pairing, but by the end of the smoldering one shot I was convinced that there should be way more fic for Sam/Bella. Thank you for showing the fandom that Edward isn’t the only sexy man in the Twilight series.

…a fabulous Angela fic called Do You Want to? by Winterstale. Angela has so much unrealized potential in fan fiction, and Winterstale answered the called with a fuckhot May December romance that made me want to hump the arm of my couch. As a lover of non-canon pairings, this well written, sexy and heartfelt fic is a delightful gift.


Jennifer is thankful for...

...fanfiction. Yeah, yeah, that’s kind of broad. Fanfiction has allowed me an outlet to be silly, to be pervy--to act like a twelve year old boy. I am thankful for all of the fanfics that have expanded my definition of what’s erotic. Most of all, I’m thankful for the stories that have introduced me to a community of amazing women and writers.

I read a bewildering amount of fic, pretty much every type and pairing, and I wish I could mention one from every genre. Here are just a few of the stories that I’m thankful for...

… Finding Home by Jennde is a beautifully written historical romance centered around the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Jennde is faithful to the era her story takes place in. Some may find the lemons chaste, but Edward and Bella’s relationship makes their sexual relationship just as hot as any explicit citrus. Beyond a beautiful story that owned my heart from the first word to the last, I also discovered my twin--Jennde and I are so alike, it’s almost scary.

...Philadelphic’s  La Canzone della Bella Cigna blows my mind on a chapter-by-chapter basis. How Philadelphic has managed to weave such an intricate, scary, sexy, *and* funny AU is beyond me. I’m constantly amazed at her talent. I’m thankful both for the story and the free musical education she’s giving us all.

...Lone Wolves by adharmic is a gorgeous o/s full of delicious hurt and enough UST to power a small town. I’m so thankful to have read this incarnation of Jasper and Leah.


Teal is thankful for...

...everyone who feeds my love of supporting characters like Peter and Garrett by bumping them up into a starring role in fic, or just keeping them as a support but making them all fuckhot and appealing. This would most certainly include Rochelle Allison, who has turned Garrett into one of Bella’s love interests in several fics (calm down, E/B shippers, she always works things back to canon eventually) because, well...I don’t need to explain. Garrett is sexy and beautiful and ummy nummy nummy. I can appreciate him in basically any pairing. And of course, we all know how I feel about Peter. From overprotective twin brother Peter in LaViePastiche and ElleCC’s The First Breath to sexy cyclist Peter in SubtlePen’s Cardboard, I can never get enough. Keep him canon with Charlotte? Great. Mix him with Bella? Delicious. Slash him with Jasper? Yes fucking please. Give it allllll to me! Most of all, I’m thankful for our diverse community of readers and writers, who never cease to amaze me with all the new and exciting ideas and initiatives they bring to our lovely fandom.

Jess is thankful for...

... like Jenn, fanfiction. I’m grateful for truly well written stories, some of which are no longer available to read, and some, like Where the Sidewalk Ends by by Bronzehairedgirl620, that remind me just how much talent exists in this fandom. I’m thankful for others that have opened my eyes to things I had never appreciated, and in some cases, had never even heard about.

For a long time, I stuck strictly to Edward/Bella fics (which I still love and cling to), but through exploration and the desire to see and read more, I was slowly introduced to slash - All I Ever Knewby manyafandom
- and polyamourous relationships - The Trip Home by MsKathy. Many others since then have pushed my preconceived notions and challenged me to think differently about love and relationships.

I’m grateful for my fellow pervs who are constantly encouraging me to branch out and explore alternate pairings - Bella/Carlisle in Near to You by Caitlinlaurie or Edward/Leah in Hair of the Dog by mjinaspen.

As a whole, I’m just grateful for this fandom, for the beautiful, intelligent, and strong women (and men) who willingly share their talents with all of us each day. Thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of such a vibrant community.

Emmy is thankful for...

(Forgive me if I do this wrong, we don’t do Thanksgiving in the UK - especially as your holiday celebrates getting rid of us! Hahahahahaha)

Like many of my perv’s before me, I am thankful for the fandom even existing..... I think the fandom, and certainly my interaction with it has changed over the two years I have been part of it. I was really lucky this year to fly over from Blighty to Comic Con and put proper faces and voices to the folk I have considered friends for a long time now. I am thankful I got the opportunity to do so.

I am VERY thankful for my girls in the PPSS, the girls who founded it, some of whom I am thankfully still in frequent contact with, and the lovely girls who make up PPSS 2.00 and have allowed the PPSS to flourish and move with the times. Stay smutty ladies. I love you all. <3 Special thanks at this point have to be given to Ninapolitan, without whom the PPSS blog would never have started, it was her initial idea, and her enthusiasm, motivation and kick-arse organizational skills that meant we ever got started and lasted our first year! I am doubly lucky as I consider Nina to be a special and constant friend within and beyond the fandom.

I am thankful to so many stories within this fandom. Too many to mention. One I always mention but have to again is The Mirrors by Adorable Cullens. AC really is an accomplished writer. This story is perfection in my eyes, and deserves to be sitting on bookshelves internationally.

I initially couldn’t read AU stories, as I couldn’t find any good ones. So I read a plethora of AH stories instead. Many of which sadly are no longer available. One of the AU stories that turned me on to the delights of AU is Behind the Clouds by Echoes of Twilight (it’s not smutty as yet, but I think it will be! I can’t say anymore without giving the story away, but it deffo reignited my fire for AU fics, so I HAVE to mention it as it’s INCREDIBLE!)

I am thankful for the laugh I have daily on twitter with random fandom people. What a nice bunch you are. I am also thankful for all the amazing recc’s I get through twitter too. Keep them coming please ladies (and gents). And please, please, please, PLEASE do keep giving us feedback and suggestion in our comments sections, on twitter and by email. We need you dear Pervlings to keep the Smut Shack alive! ;) I thank you all for being part of this fabbio blog, that I love to death.

Kimpy is thankful for...

Before I list the pieces I am thankful for, I have to preface it with one comment: More than anything, I am thankful for the Fandom in general, because it has genuinely changed my life in dramatic and positive ways. Seriously. I will be forever grateful for these experiences.

When I first started reading Fanfic, I started on Twlighted, and I would only read E/B canon stories. Yes, I have ventured much more broadly since then. but still; everyone has to start somewhere! The first story I got hooked on was The List, by Laura Cullen. Just the thought that Edward and Bella could experiment sexually before that got married left my undies in a bundle (I know, TMI). I loved the story so much, I created a screen name just so that I could review it. I remember anxiously awaiting every update. I also remember thinking I would never use my screen name again. HA! How my world has changed! Laura Cullen is also the first author I corresponded with, so she popped my fic cherry in many, many ways. Her story is just FUCKHOT. GAH!!

I first heard of MsKathy because she betaed every one of my favorite stories. It took me a while to discover that she wrote, too. The Trip Home, by MsKathy was the first story I read by her, and it blew me away. I loved how she was able to develop a mentally and sexually healthy trio, together for all the best reasons. Don’t get me wrong, the lemons were amazing, but this story meant so much more to me than that. MsKathy has a way of infusing such goodness and sensibility into her characters, and I fell madly in love with all three of them. TTH Esme is one of my favorite incarnations as well. I fucking love every single moment of this story. *happy sigh*

A story that was instrumental in changing some of my views about the range of healthy sexuality is The Submissive, by Tara Sue Me. I had so many misconceptions about BDSM before I read this. I assumed it was all about Masters treating their subs like slaves, all pain and humiliation and degradation. It opened my mind to so much, for which I will always be thankful.

The most recent story for which I am thankful is Dead On My Feet, by Cesca Marie. It isn’t merely because it is impeccably written that this story means so much to me. As a Pediatric ICU nurse, I deal with kids who have bone marrow transplants (BMT) all the time. As such, I see the worst cases, and many of them never make it back to the general care floor, much less get well and get discharged. I rarely see the ones that recover. Her story has not only allowed me to see the more positive side of a BMT, but also has opened my eyes to what it is like to go through the entire process of nearly dying from the patient’s perspective. I think one of the most important things she has accomplished via this story, however, is that she deals with sexuality in such a realistic and healthy way. There is so much more to the human sexual experience than the just act of sex. Cesca Marie really delves deeply into the complex layers of who we are as humans and how it relates to the roles we play when and how we choose to become intimate with one another. Truly a treasure, this fic.

Finally, I want to shout out my thanks to all the authors whose stories have touched me in so many ways--I wish I could list everyone here, but there are certain to be people I miss. Some of my favorite stories they’ve written are no longer available, and thus they couldn’t really be listed, but I continue to remember them fondly. A huge thank you to: AdorableCullens; Algonquinrt/D0tpark3r; Angry Badger Girl; Betty Smith; Lolashoes; Manyafandom; Mrs.TheKing; WriteOnTime; all the PPSS authors whom I love, but need to remain unlisted for the sake of impartiality. THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!

Kitty is thankful for...

... Twilighted because that is where my fandom journey began. Yeah, I’m a backwards kitty and knew about the fics on Twilighted before I ever knew Fanfiction.net existed. Unfortunately the very first fic I ever read is no longer in circulation, however...

...Anticipation by Bella c’ella luna, the very first fic I read on Fanfiction. It was the first canon type fic I’d read and it was, and still is, oh so tasty with the sexy times.

...Oceans of Doubt by Belindella, my current obsession. It’s so much fun to read and I adore this fic so much and reminds me with every update that the fandom is still alive and kicking and not going anywhere soon!

Finally, I am eternally thankful for all of the beautiful people I’ve had the pleasure to meet online and in person. My wee kitty life is far richer and fuller to have all of these wonderful women in it. I adore each and everyone one of you more than I can even begin to express in words. Thank you fandom!!

Thanks to all the PPSS readers.

We are nothing without you.