Bonne Foi by @amethystjackson

Another awesome AU! Amethyst Jackson is a really talented girl. I’ve been following Bonne Foi since its early days. Back when the notion of a dark and dangerous Edward was still new (Yah, it’s been in the WIP state for a while now!). Still, after all this time, and after reading myriads of dark-ward stories, Bonne Foi continues to hold the number one place in my heart.

The story is in its last stretch. It’s been an incredible journey. Love you, Katie!

Summary: Edward Masen was changed in 1918 and abandoned by his sire. He feeds on human blood, unaware of any other way…until he stumbles across college freshman Bella Swan for a night that will change everything.

Check out the story. The banner is by Le Crepuscule, I think. I found it on a google search. I could be wrong, so please correct me so the right person can be credited.

The Keepsake by @Windchymes11

I just realized that I don’t have a single AU in this list. I need to correct that right now. After all, for the longest time, AUs were my staple diet in this fic-verse. It’s not always the case that I love everything else written by the author of one my favorite stories. But it definitely is true for windchymes. The Keepsake is awesome. As are Distractions, The Decision and pretty much all the stories the author has penned.

The Keepsake updated today (12 March, 2012). What perfect timing! Thank you, windchymes!

Summary: Some things you never forget, they just hurt too much to remember.

If you are not reading it, you should. You’ll find it here. I found the banner at Rob Attack. I don’t know who made it. It’s really pretty, isn’t it?

Wish Granted by KzintiKiller (@TwiHusband)

Holy MF Christ! This is my most favorite OS of all time!  The same friend who rec-d me In the Shallows, sent this priceless piece of gem my way. This is arguably the cleverest twi-fic I’ve ever read since I joined the party a few years ago. I urge you to go and read Wish Granted. It’s super short, barely a page. But it carries a nice punch. Please review and let Rick know that I sent you. Best OS ever! Thank you, Rick.

Summary: Jacob gets his fondest wish. A world without magic, vampires, or Edward Cullen. The world in which Bella Swan is free to be his soul mate.

Read the story and let me know what you think. I made the banner for Wish Granted today. I'm trying to teach myself how to work with graphics. As you can see, I'm pretty sucky! Still, I thought it's better to have some visuals. What do you think, Rick?

With Teeth by TalulaBlue

I’m so used to exclusively dealing with ff.net when it comes to reading or finding twi-fic that I often forget about this brilliant story when I’m asked about my list of best of the best. With Teeth is posted at Twilighted only. I am not too fond of that site. Mostly because it’s too flashy to discreetly sneak a read while I’m at work. Anywho, this is a marvelous story about a beautifully flawed and struggling Edward who meets Bella at a very wrong time in life. The realism is poignant and the sadness is touching.

With Teeth is definitely worth the trouble of taking a detour to Twilighted. Thank you, TalulaBlue.

Summary: Edward is a 27-year-old alcoholic/addict struggling with his recovery. Bella is a 23-year-old who's moved back home after college. This fic chronicles how they meet, fall in love, and struggle with the complexities of their relationship. Not nearly as maudlin as it sounds (I hope). Rated NC-17 for graphic (and sometimes non-romantic) sex, drug and alcohol use and abuse, profane language, and brief (very brief) suicidal ideation (although NO suicide attempts). No sexual assault, no cutting.

You can find it here. The beautiful blinkie is made by Rose Arcadia.

In the Shallows by Porcia

A friend suggested this story to me. I’ve been told that it had a really erratic posting style. It would update 3-4 chapters in quick succession, then nothing again for months. The thing about In the Shallows that moved me the most was perhaps not just the story itself - brilliant as it was - but the accompanying AN at the end of the last chapter. I was reduced to a sobbing mess by the time I finished reading the last line. It's a beautiful and heartbreaking tale of love lost and found.

Porcia is truly amazing.

Summary: Everywhere I look, something reminds me of him. Smells, words, colours, songs. For two years I've cried over him. The best thing that's ever happened to me. The love of my life. He left because we were hurting. Because I was in the shallows.

You’ll find the story here. The beautiful banner is made by Christag-Banner.

How to Save a Life by unholy.obsession

Ahh, this takes me back to those early days of twi-fic. Oh, how the air was fresher and sky bluer! It was one of the first stories that thoroughly Wow-d me. Not only did it pull on all my heart strings, it made me root for Bella more than Edward. Now for me, that NEVER happens! How to Save a Life is one of the reasons I read twi-fic. It’s brilliant. 

Summary: Bella, Edward, Alice & crew. What's going on with Bella's new best friend's older brother, Edward? What exactly happened in his past that has turned the former golden boy into a shadow of himself?

I was quite devastated when unholy.obsession pulled the story a while back. And overjoyed when she decided to repost it. You can find it here. I found the banner on a site called Rob My World. I don't know if the owner of the blog made it or not. It sure is beautiful.

Secrets and Lies by Bella Scotia (@KHMcL)

Secrets and Lies holds a very special place in my heart. Not only do I love the story, but I absolutely adore the author. Although I’ve been reading twi-fic for a while now, I haven’t been active in the fandom until quite recently. One of the precious lessons I’ve learned during my stay here is how rare it is to get any kind of mentorship, guidance, or heck a simple hello from the supposed BNAs. Not Bella Scotia though. She is generous with her time and compassionate toward the floundering ranks of us newbies.

I digress! Secrets and Lies is an amazingly well written story about an emotionally scarred woman's (Bella) journey through life. Her sadness is palpable, her exhaustion is crippling, and it all becomes far too real as you read the story.

Thank you, Kat! I love you.

Summary: Bella once told a lie. A lie that cost her everything she ever wanted. 10yrs later, she returns to her hometown to an ailing father, an angry ex-best friend, and the man from whom she has kept a secret that threatens to unravel her existence. AH OOC M.

You can read it here. I wish I knew who made this beautiful banner. I think it's Christag_Banner. Please correct me if I'm wrong. It’s so perfect for the story.

Expectations and Other Moving Pieces by chrometurtle

There isn’t much that needs to be said about EaOMP. It is what it is: angst at its purest form. Been following it since about chapter 14 or so. It took me through an intense emotional roller coaster ride. The long bout of wait between updates is painful but worth the hardship.

Chrometurtle is brilliant.

Summary: Everything I had done in my life seemed to lead up to this moment. The moment when I found myself bound inextricably to a man I didn’t love, trapped in a life I didn’t want. And if I left him, I would be entirely alone.

You can read it here. I found the banner on a google search. I don't know who made it, but it sure is very beautiful!

Inside Man by ooza (@o_Oza)

When I started reading Inside Man, I was in a bad time crunch. I saw the story being rec-d on twitter and felt mildly curious. At the time there were around thirty chapters up. I thought I’d skim the first few and maybe slowly catch up with the rest over the next few weeks.

Yah, that didn’t happen! I read all the posted chapters in a single sitting, cried my eyes out through most of them, and came “this” close to losing my job for missing a pretty important deadline. But it was so totally worth it.

In general, prison-ward stories don’t really appeal to me much. Inside Man is the sole exception. Thank you, Ooza!

Summary: With his parole fast approaching, inmate Edward Masen is looking for a friend. College student Bella Swan stumbles across his profile on a prison pen-pal website. Their friendship is formed over written words, but will it last once he rejoins her world?

You can find it here. I am not really sure who made this gorgeous banner. I won’t be surprised if it’s Ooza herself. She is ridiculously brilliant!

How to Paint a House by Maggie's Gutter

Just like TWiO, I approached this story with caution. After all, I can’t say I care much for sugar sweet romance. It was a fairly new story back then and I wanted to profile it for the Avant Garde Awards site. So, I figured I’ll quickly skim through it for the job. Well, I didn’t get to profile How to Paint a House for AGA. It exceeded the maximum review count before I could put it together. But it sure as hell got me hooked. It’s such an amazing story about coming of age, falling in love, getting your heart broken, and then… well, it’s still WIP, so we’ll see where it goes. But I can safely say that I absolutely love it.

Thank you, Maggie’s Gutter!

Summary: Bella Swan is a naive fifteen year old, set to spend another kiss-less summer alone. Edward is new to town, and doesn't know a soul. Watch an unlikely friendship blossom over the simple task of painting a house. But for these two, nothing is simple.

You’ll find the story here. The beautiful banner is made by becksishere.

The War Is Over by MariahajilE (@MariahajilE)

What can I say about The War is Over, except that it owns me? I am pretty finicky when it comes to pairings in twi-fics. I’m strictly ExB kinda reader. In that respect, The War is Over is a HUGE departure for me. When I opened the first chapter of the story, I had very little intention of actually reading it. I mean, why bother investing time in a story that was marked Angela/Edward (MariahajilE changed the pairing later)? I knew there was no way I was gonna like it.

I read chapter one. Then two. Then, 170 chapters and a little over an hour later, I waved the white flag of surrender.

The story is brilliant! Thank you, Iris. I would happily give my right arm to be able to write like you.

Summary: Lies. Betrayal. Pain. A story of finally getting what you want and hurting everyone in the process. AH, ExB, ExA, AxBen. M for language and lemons. 

Check out the story. You can find it here. Once again, the pretty blinkie is made by the one and only  Rose Arcadia.

Caravaggio by meimei42 (@legendary_mei)

Caravaggio updated today (5 March, 2012). I couldn't believe it! I rationed the chapter so it wouldn't finish too quick.

Thank you Dani!

It's been one of my most favorite stories of all time. And I was pleasantly surprised to realize that the long wait didn't diminish its pull at all.

If you haven't read it, please do. I know there's always the risk that it could go back on hiatus. But it's so worth it!

Summary: AH AH. Bella's parents have commissioned a painting to be done of her by a one Edward Cullen. He's too suave for his own good and before long he's trying to talk Bella right out of her clothes.

You'll find the story here. The gorgeous blinkie is made by Rose Arcadia.