Friday's Fic Fit 8.20.2010
Every Friday, we’ll ease your cravings for a hit/fic by passing on something that’s been rec’d to us. This means that if there’s a fic you wanna see, you’ll need to submit it! Stories that fit the theme of our upcoming podcast are most appreciated.
AND
TwiNutter told us, “Because its so original and hard to find a really good J/R fic that also has a really good writer.”
Althea was first to see this pop in our queue and pointed it out to me, knowing it was right up my alley. What she didn’t know was that wordslinger had already found this fic and had me start reading a while ago. So how could I not invite my girl back to share the pleasure of pimping this fic with me?
Summary:
To prevent open war with the neighboring Quileute kingdom, Carlisle Cullen must give up the first daughter born to his family and throw her to the wolves... literally.
A fantasy AU fic of adventure, political intrigues, murder, seduction, war... and, of course, true love at first sight.
Just like last time, wordslinger and I didn’t edit ourselves. This fic is only ten chapters in, so we can’t really spoil the whole thing for you, but we did talk about all ten chapters.
Jess: I think we should begin by making sure readers know that they should check everything they know about SM's universe at the door... and that isn't because this is an AH fic.
Wordslinger: Oh, I agree. She says that in her Chapter 1 A/N, but we can reiterate it.
I think that I found this fic on Twilighted. Her banner was pretty, and I was fairly green in the fanfic world, just looking for all things Jacob.
I don't usually read T fics, because I'll admit that most of the time I'm in this for the smut. I'm a perv.
But the prologue left me so excited! Carlisle's journals really set the tone for the story.
Jess: We should. ‘Cause if we don't make them want to read it, they won't ever see the author's note! :)
I found this fic when you told me I should be reading it. LOL
Though there's no smut, this fic has some dark spots that I'm not sure should fall under T. I'm a total perv too. But this fic is so fucking unique, set in its own unique world, that I just had to give it a shot.
Yes, Carlisle's journals were a really cool intro.
Wordslinger: Ok, then. Leave your Twilight assumptions at the door. This is a fairy tale! A good one!
There are several dark spots. Let's talk about the way Nessie (unlike some members of her family) accepted her fate. She knew what was expected of her. She wasn't bitter. She didn't blame Jacob. She only wanted peace.
I think the first scary part was where she was attacked by the rogue vamps, and Jacob had to phase to save her life. She was struggling with her latent bloodlust and was also terrified that Jacob was going to come after her.
It was pretty scary!
Jess: Oh, fairy tale is a really good way to describe it.
Yes! Nessie's maturity is amazing - reminds me of the bits of her personality seen in BD.
That was really intense. That was the first glimpse we had that the Cullens were something other than normal humans who simply refuse to eat meat.
A lot of fics have scenes that you know are supposed to feel intense, but just don't quite get there... with fanfic there's a sense that nothing can really go wrong cause we all love an HEA, right? But I was so caught up in all of that, and this fic is so different, and I understand so little of Jezunya's world that I didn't really know what was going to happen. I was totally on the edge of my seat.
And while we're on the subject of Jacob phasing... can we talk about how hawt it is that she's all 'civilized' and he's all not. It's like, Tarzan hotness. Doesn't every girl love a guy that she's a little bit afraid of too?
Wordslinger: Oh, that was definitely part of his charm. His rugged clothes, his refusal to not eat meat, LOL. It reminded me of the old westerns where the civilized women were always so appalled at the rugged behavior of the men.
What really got to me was the second time they were attacked. Afterwards, Embry confronted Jacob about the tone of his thoughts. He said Jacob was thinking of Renesmee like he would a mate. It was the first clue that he'd imprinted.
Did you notice that they didn't get that last vamp body? Do you think he'll come back for her?
Jess: You are on a roll with the great descriptions! Rugged men hold quite the appeal. Why is danger so fucking hot??
Well, it was the first clue for others. We knew Jake knew. And I was really curious why he didn't just tell his friends that he'd imprinted. Which there was obviously a major reason for. One that ties back in to canon... I've never seen anything further from canon have so many tie-ins!
Absolutely that vamp is coming back. Also, I wonder if Ness did anything to fight him off. Does she have a power we know nothing about?
Wordslinger: I liked what she did with the imprinting. How the true Alpha was the only one who could imprint. I really hate Sam here. He's a toxic leader. I thought that his demand that Jake keep the imprint a secret was pretty low. It proves that he's just "playing" king. He's terrified of losing his position.
He's a power hungry hate monger, LOL
No love for Sam here. OMG the horse scene. I was horrified. I loved how Jake stepped in and took her away. I was like *fist pump*!
I can't help but wonder what happened to the Black's line of rule, and why Sam was able to take control. I'm guessing it's all some political bullshit.
I'm totally in love with this gruff Jacob trying to do right by this poor girl who's been thrown into this situation.
Jess: Yes, the twist on imprinting is awesome.
I hate Sam too, but I get the feeling that there's more going on than we know about, and we might wind up with sympathy for him in the end. Like you said, we don't know how he came to power, and depending on why, there might be a valid reason for him to play a little dirty to stay there.
The horse scene was gross. She warned it would be but damn.
Gruff Jacob trying to take care of his girl is absolutely perfect. I love him.
Wordslinger: Well, her summary promises political intrigue! So far I've been impressed with every single chapter!
Can I say right now that this fic was the original inspiration for my own? I'd read several AUs, and they were all based on the original Twiverse. Nothing really special there.
TtW blew my socks off. I was like, "WHOA!!" I never knew an AU could be like that. So totally separate from Twilight, and yet the parallels are stunning.
Jezunya really has a grasp on her characters and a universe that's impressive. I'd never read anything like it before, and I doubt I'll ever find anything like it again.
Jess: Absolutely. There hasn't been a dull moment.
Yes, this fic, as well as Distortion, are so severely AU that they make normal AU fics look canon. We're talking new rules about how werewolves and vamps function, a whole new fantasy world, and some major changes to character personalities. And yet, you still see Twilight as you read!
You certainly won't find anything like it in fanfiction. This fic has novel strength, more so than any other fic I can think of.
Wordslinger: Not to mention the author is really sweet. She responds to reviews, and not with the normal, boring "Thanks for reviewing" bullshit. Um, and she hasn't blocked me on Twitter yet either. LOL
I might stalk her a little bit... but just a little. ;)
I truly see this story as a fairy tale of the best kind.
Um, and I know we've been over this, but her Jacob is just totally lovable. He's not this thin, empty Jacob we see a lot of the time. He's got real emotions, and pain, and a strong sense of what's right and what's wrong.
He's also struggling with what's going on with his people. On some level, he's trying to be respectful of Sam's authority (even if it is assumed) and the knowledge that he's imprinted. Which would cause some real problems for their government and society.
I'm anxious to find out what Billy's going to say when he finds out about the imprint and that Jacob brought Nessie to his house/cave/whatever. I'm also dying to know what the hell happened???
Jess: LMAO. Has anyone blocked you on Twitter? You're paranoid. :)
Yes, I said before that I love 'fairy tale' to describe this fic. It's so perfect! And let's take a moment to say that this fic is so very different that you don't need to be Team Jake to love it. He's not been a part of any love triangle that offends some readers!
We can't talk enough about Jacob, let's be honest. And this one is especially wonderful. Everything you said, plus mysterious and dangerous and troubled but not a bad boy.
There's gotta be something really interesting that makes him so blindly obey Sam when his instincts are telling him otherwise. I think it has to do with Billy. Nessie hinted at a leader before Sam who only ruled for a short time, and that one OC said there was an issue with Billy. Something went very wrong while he was in charge. I can't even try to guess how he's going to react when he hears that his son has imprinted because I get the feeling that there's something major we don't know about him.
Wordslinger: My guess is that Billy (or whomever) was against taking Nessie. Perhaps he simply wanted peace. To let sleeping dogs lie. Yes, the Quileutes suffered losses but taking Nessie won't bring those people back.
I'm thinking that Sam was elevated by steering public opinion and taking advantage of old wounds. We see this so often in RL politics. The masses elect someone who is only about serving their own special interests and not the good of all people.
Usually the populace isn't really clear on what's actually happening right in front of them. As a whole, people are emotional, and it's easy to play on that weakness.
Sam's public display with Noble & Nessie proved that. He's not a true leader. He's either a populist or simply angry. Like I said before, he's toxic.
What also interests me is the evolution of the Cullen people. They no longer drink blood. Is this a genetic thing that happened over time? It's implied that Alice came from Volterra, and that they're savages there. I like how this reflects what Edward said in Twilight, how Alice would have been a total savage without Carlisle. In TtW this was what happened.
Jess: That's a good guess, but I can't help but wonder if there's something more. I suspect Billy's mental health might be an issue. I can't give any valid reason for thinking that... I just do. Oh! But there is the fact that if Billy was Alpha, he probably imprinted on Jake's mom (Sarah, if canon), who doesn't appear to be in the picture anymore. That could certainly fuck a guy up.
Yeah, I'm interested to know more about the Cullens too. At first, I thought they just didn't eat meat (and they don't), but now we know it has to do with them staying away from blood because ancestrally, they're related to the Volturi. I totally dig that the Volturi are full on cannibals too. They don't just drink blood, they eat it all, even sucking the bone marrow out. That's hardcore. SM's Volturi look like pansies compared to these guys.
Wordslinger: This is true! SM's Volturi were somewhat civilized. Jezunya's are totally and completely savage. I thought Alice making jokes about it was pretty funny. LOL
She hasn't talked about Billy too much, but all this imprinting business implies that the Quileute rule is more like a monarchy than this democracy that clearly isn't working.
Jess: Well, the Volturi have at least made an attempt at civilization ‘cause Alice was sent to marry Jasper as part of some treaty, wasn't she?
Well, the democracy is working... just not for everyone. The people seem pretty pleased with Sam. But also, Jake mentioned that the voice of the Alpha has a power over the people when he speaks. I wonder what would have happened if Jake had stepped up and pointed out that what Sam was doing was wrong. I bet that at least some of them would have heard the Alpha in his voice and agreed.
Wordslinger: It’s not working out if the people are bitter and angry. If they can take their frustrations out on a poor girl who had nothing to do with the past, then it's not working.
Sam's power over the people comes from manipulating emotions. Not from true leadership skills. I'm hoping that Jacob can stave off his cruelty.
Jess: That's a good point. But they do think it's working.
Of course Jacob will be able to put Sam in his place! He's Jacob fucking Black!
Wordslinger: I think Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black said it best, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it."
At this point, wordslinger and I got lost in discussing all the many wonderful features of Will Smith, so I went ahead and cut it there.
Jess’ Final Thought: This fic is really so far out there, away from everything you know about Twilight, that anyone can (and everyone should!) check it out and enjoy it. It really reads like a stand-alone story that might leave you wondering if the author had read Twilight.
Labels: friday fic fit
posted by Jess @ 4:52 AM
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