Between Impossibilities

So, um, I don't know how many swimslashers are left lurking around here. But I have to say that this has inspired me more than anything else in the last year. I just don't know that the world is ready for Melo/Michael. OR IS IT.

Thanks to scrawl42 for pointing the link out to me.

"The Light in Our Eyes" Part 3.

For warnings, etc. See part 1. There is also a part 2.



( it's a cold world, and I can never go numb )

"The Light in Our Eyes" Part 2

For warnings, etc. See part 1.



( forever begins, just because I thought about it )

Title:”The Light in Our Eyes”
Pairing(s): Carmelo Anthony/Eddie Najera, Carmelo Anthony/Eddie Najera/Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony/Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony/Steve Nash, Allen Iveron/Steve Nash (implied), Eddie Najera/Steve Nash (implied), and for my final trick, Carmelo Anthony/Brendon Urie. Yeah, I went there.
Disclaimer:This is the product of my twisted imagination. It never happened and I'm not implying that it did. I make no profit from writing this.
Word Count: Apx 19,800 (posted in three parts: part 1, part 2 and part 3.)
Rating: NC-17
Warnings, Summary and A/N: This is an AU in which I take Melo and chart the course of his life, assuming he never made it to the NBA, starting when he’s five years old and ending when he’s twenty-five. Along the way I throw in every basketball player I can possibly justify using as cops, drug dealers, art buyers, lawyers and soccer players. Be warned for drug use, dub-con, violence and character death.

“Thank you,” can’t possibly express my gratitude to horizon_greene for holding my hand through writing this (starting in May), believing that NBA fandom needed an epic AU, and then betaing the damn thing when I was done.

All of the chapter headings taken from Common’s “Forever Begins,” except for the title, which is mine.


( They push the living room furniture around and Allen kneels on the old mattress and JR and Melo take turns punching at his hands. He’s always too quick for them and their boxing matches usually end up with them flailing in his direction while he slaps them until their cheeks start to sting and they tackle him. )

Title: "Dreaming My Way Deep"
Pairing: Allen Iverson/Melo, and some light Eddie/Melo
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 1781
Summary and A/N: This is kind of a deleted scene from "All Stars and Crashed Cars," only from Melo's POV. Part of it takes place during the 2004 Olympic Games. Many thanks, as always, to horizon_greene for the beta, and also to a_bit_surreal for asking me about the dynamics of the AI/Melo pairing, which prompted me to write this.


( He’s not home; he’s half-awake, half-hung over and half-naked on the floor of T-Mac’s suite. )

( ... )

title: "Lying to Beat the Sun"
pairing: Allen Iverson/Steve Nash
rating: NC-17
words:: 3900
summary: Steve gets drunk, angsty and horny over the All Star Break. AI is also drunk, and perhaps horny. There are cameo appearences by: Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, and Eddie Najera (by phone.)
Disclaimer:This is the product of my twisted imagination. It never happened and I'm not implying that it did. I make no profit from writing this.
A/N: This takes place in the same 'verse as all of my other NBA fics. This is the same Steve from "Almost Broken", and this fic takes place at the same time as the last section of "All Stars and Crashed Cars". Someday I'll move on. Today is not that day. Many, many thanks as usual to horizon_greene for betaing this in a hurry and for generally listening to some strange shit from me lately. So, because this has Steve in it, this is dedicated to her.


( AI doesn’t look stiff and sore and worn out, sucked dry from the desert heat and the stress. He still looks like a kid, dancing and drinking and hanging on Melo, unconsciously physical, unaware or indifferent to the people around him, to the expectations on him. Which is painfully unfair.  )

So, yeah, the Nuggets broke my heart a little bit. In honor of that, and the stomach flu (why do I only drabble when I'm sick?), here's 425 words of AI angsting.

( what makes it bearable (the only thing) is dirk. )

OMG. Let's do the character meme!

1. Pete Wentz
2. Boris Diaw
3. Ryan Ross
4. JR Smith
5. Patrick Stump
6. LeBron James
7. Allen Iverson
8. Eddie Najera
9. Steve Nash
10. Kobe Bryant
11. Carmelo Anthony
12. Jon Walker

This time I answered the majority of the twenty two questions in drabble form. Not betaed, of course, Just for crack.

( Various pairings include but are not limited to: Steve Nash/Patrick Stump, Allen Iverson/Patrick Stump, Jon Walker/Boris Diaw, and WAIT FOR IT -- Melo/Ryan Ross. Then there are the threesomes, the hookers and the evil eyebrows. Also, ratings on the drabbles range from PG-hard R. )

Title: "Dreaming My Way Deep"
Pairing: Allen Iverson/Melo, and some light Eddie/Melo
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 1781
Disclaimer:This is the product of my twisted imagination. It never happened and I'm not implying that it did. I make no profit from writing this.
Summary and A/N: This is kind of a deleted scene from "All Stars and Crashed Cars," only from Melo's POV. Part of it takes place during the 2004 Olympic Games. Many thanks, as always, to horizon_greene for the beta.


( He’s not home; he’s half-awake, half-hung over and half-naked on the floor of T-Mac’s suite. )

Author: shadow_shimmer
Title: “All Stars and Crashed Cars” (other Melo/Eddie adventures can be found here.)
Pairing: Eddie/Melo, Eddie/Melo/JR Smith, Melo/JR Smith, Allen Iverson/Melo (implied).
Rating: NC-17
Word count: apx 7400
Disclaimer:This is the product of my twisted imagination. It never happened and I'm not implying that it did. I make no profit from writing this.
A/N and Summary: I’m just playing catch-up with the Nuggets’ season in this one, trying to work in everything from Melo's baby and his upcoming wedding to his very close relationship with JR Smith. The facts are that 1) Melo and JR were involved in a brawl that caused them both to be suspended, 2) JR spent most of his suspension with Melo, 3) JR was with Melo (who was apparently sleeping) the day that Melo was told he wasn’t going to play in the All Star Game, and subsequently 4) they were in a ‘fender-bender.’ JR was driving. Also, the yellow hoodie is real.

I thought that all of that was a pretty good excuse for epic threesome porn.

Thanks to horizon_greene for reading this every time I added a few pages.

( His temples throb and his hands are shaky from tearing into his shirt when he’s done. He reaches out blindly, before he thinks, and touches Melo’s cheek. When Melo kisses his palm and then his wrist, JR remembers crashing Melo’s car and pulls away. )

Author: shadow_shimmer
Title: "Sex, Lies and Money" (Other parts in this series can be found starting here.)
Pairing: Melo/Eddie, Melo/Dwyane Wade
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: The people are real; this isn't.
Word Count: 4600
A/N: Okay, this takes place over the summer, spanning several months from the end of last season to the FIBA World Championships. I wanted to cover as much ground as I could before I started writing situations from the current season. This piece also spends some time on the relationship between Melo and his friend, Tyler Smith, who was arressted last summer for marijuana possession while driving Melo's Dodge Magnum on the day before Melo signed his $80 million dollar contract. Lala also makes an appearance by phone.

Of course, many thanks go to horizon_greene for the beta and the subtle encouragement. I never would have finished this otherwise. I mean, damn. I started writing this in June? July?

Summary: He wonders when he and Eddie started losing it--or if it’s just him?-- and why the hell he can’t just bandage over everything that hurts with money.



( Sex, Lies and Money )

Author: shadow_shimmer
Title: "Through Broken Glass" (previous parts can be found here.)
Pairing: Carmelo Anthony/Eddie Najera
Rating:NC-17
Disclaimer:The people may be real but this is pure make believe.
Notes: Okay, this really isn't as emo as the title sounds. There is Melo playing with kids, weed smoking (totally not at the same time), accusations of gayness and a cross-sports celebrity cameo. Also, I thought we'd wrap this all up from Melo's POV.

Summary: Melo’s teased himself like that once or twice before, at night when he can’t sleep. Instead of imagining what kind of monster might be living under his bed, like he did when he was a kid, he imagines what it would feel like if Eddie were traded, or if he got tired of Melo, or decided that what he and Melo were doing was some kind of a sin, ‘cause Eddie’s a church goin’ guy, or at least Jen is, a lot like Melo’s momma. And it hurts Melo a little to think that what he wants with and from and for Eddie might make his momma unhappy somehow if she were ever to find out



( Through Broken Glass )

Author: shadow_shimmer
Title: "The Stars Lie to You" (previous parts can be found here.)
Pairing: Carmelo Anthony/Eddie Najera
Rating:NC-17
Disclaimer:The people may be real but this is pure make believe.
Notes: It's done! Seriously! This part has a little BDSM, some mild violence, etc. If that's a problem you can always skip to the epilogue which is, I admit, the sappiest fic I've written in a while. Maybe ever.

One last thank you to horizon_greene for sticking with me through all of the brainstorming sessions and all of the "OMG WRITER'S BLOCK" angsting and, of course, for the fearless beta work she's done since January.

Summary: I can't handle it when he tells me, talking all in a rush now, that it's over and it's his fault but it's Karl's too 'cause he couldn't coach a girl's summer league and Kenyon's because he never practices and now he's gotten himself kicked off the team and did I know that Kenyon has a gun? And never mind, it's Buck's fault because he can't hit the three and it's Dre's fault because he over-dribbles and never calls the right play and it's Reggie's fault for being just stupid and my fault just because it goddamn well is. “You're old,” he says. “And your shit -” pointing to my leg, “ain't never gonna be right.”


( The Stars Lie to You )

The drawback is that it kills instantly so there's no time to gather information. So for situations like that, well, I use a muffin."

Avery (the new cat) is in the washing machine right now. When I don't play with her, she finds ways to amuse herself.

She's also fond of the coffee table, and I have to admit that it's a pretty cool coffee table. But since it's big and glass topped? According to my brother, I'm not realizing its full potential until people are regularly snorting lines of coke off of it.

Tomorrow we should finish our discussion of Persia which is always one of my favorite parts. See, I like to talk about Zoroastrianism and it's effect on early Christianity and watch my students freak right the fuck out. The only time I have more fun is when I get to take the joy out of Christmas and Easter.

This job has turned me into a sadist.

After Persia, we march right on into Greece and I present what may very well be the most excruciating lecture of any - from ancient Sumeria to the Cold War - that I ever throw at them: The Origins of Democracy. Because, see, here? Here is where I become a high school civics teacher and we go over forms of government ("What is an aristocracy? How about a monarchy? An oligarchy? What is a republic? What do we have here in the US? What are the three branches of our government?") until they're bleeding from the eyes.

I've been thinking about doing the "excerpts from unfinished fic" meme again and so, here. Unfinished (and some likely to stay that way) fics. Except for the most the current NBA fic. I think would jinx it by putting it out here.

Some of these are really, really old. Like, from fandoms long past. And could be considered a little bit embarrassing.

+ But first, have a missing scene from the Steve Nash series. Or part of it, anyway. From Manu's POV. Manu/Tony: ( Untitled coke!fic )

+ Supernatural fic. Sam/Dean. Post-Show. Angst:( Fifteen Years Ago We Owned That Road (Now It's Rollin' Over Us Instead) )

+ Supernatural/X-Files crossover. Oh HELL yeah I wrote it. A lot of it. What? ( Untitled SPN/X-Files crack. )

+ Supernatural fic. Sam/Dean. Pre-Show.( As Falls Wichita Falls )

+ Swimslash: Michael/Aaron. ( Untitled swim angst. )

+ HAHAHAHA. Okay. So I used to write LOTRRPS. And I had this novel length thing goin' on that I posted part of to AFF.net and then never finished. Here, it's worth a giggle just for the horrible emo!Orli.

Viggo/Orli/Sean. ( Forever Mine, Forever Young )

+ And my massive unfinished sequel to the only plotty (albeit cliche) fic I've ever written. Buffy AU. ( By the Blessing of the Dark )



Well. That was cathartic.

ETA: It would be very cool to see other unfinished fics out there lurking in my FL.

Author: shadow_shimmer
Title: "Something to Believe In" (previous parts can be found here.)
Pairing: Carmelo Anthony/Eddie Najera
Rating:NC-17
Disclaimer:The people may be real but this is pure make believe.
Notes: With this one we go back to Eddie's POV. Also, there are only two more parts left in this series. One playoff piece and one post-playoff angst-fest. Thank you to horizon_greene for the beta. I suppose if I were in a fic dedicating mood, I should have dedicated the last one to you, but seeing as I didn't think of it at the time, here: This one's for you. Congratulations!

Summary: Basketball players don't have homes, really. At least, that's what my college coach told me. We live itinerant lives and the only place we keep coming back to is the court and, yeah, that's where Melo is now and that's where my passion is, and as I start to fade and the Nuggets start to fade, I mix all of it up in my head: Melo, passion, my heart and his. And then they're waking me up and we're leaving. Dirk and his Mavs have blown us out by over twenty and it's ugly.


( Something to Believe In )

Author: shadow_shimmer
Title: "Freedom and Fame" (previous parts can be found here.)
Pairing: Melo/Eddie, Melo/Boris Diaw, Melo/himself
Rating:NC-17
Disclaimer:The people may be real but this is pure make believe.
Notes: 1)This is from Melo's POV. 2) From the time that Boris Diaw makes his second appearance in this story until his grand exit is the result of a collaborative effort between horizon_greene and myself. Boris's characterization is entirely horizon_greene's creation. Please see his origination in her fic "Ephemera." (It almost goes without saying saying that she betaed this, too. And did a wonderful job.)

Summary: Fame might have its price but it has its benefits, too, and Melo’s all about taking advantage of those when he can.



( Freedom and Fame )

Author: shadow_shimmer
Title: "Alone Against the World" (previous parts can be found here.)
Pairing: Carmelo Anthony/Eddie Najera/Steve Nash
Rating:NC-17
Disclaimer:The people may be real but this is pure make believe.
Notes: 1) The Steve Nash in this is the same Steve Nash that was in the "Win Lose or Break" series. And 2) As usual, a heartfelt thank you to horizon_greene for the beta and for, y'know, everything.

Summary: Anyone who’s got “Me Against the World” tattooed on their belly has got issues. Persecution issues, abandonment issues, something. I know that. I feel it in the way Melo tenses up when I lick the ink that he had scarred into his skin. I can feel it in the way he shuts down when the press asks about the Olympics or when someone compares him to LeBron.



( Alone Against the World )

Title: Promised Land (sequel to Proving Ground.)
Author: shadow_shimmer
Fandom: NBA Slash
Pairing: Eddie Najera/Carmelo Anthony (Implied Nash/Najera. And soon, Nash/Najera/Anthony.)
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: The people may be real but THIS is fiction. No profit is made.
Notes/Warning: Look out for a very brief het scene in the service of character development. Also, I’m not sure, but some readers may be offended by the religious content. Beyond that? Just smut and very mild car and jewelry kink.

A big thank you, as always, to horizon_greene. The measure of a good beta is how often she's willing to tell you that something doesn't work.

Summary: Faith is a funny thing, though, and I don’t know that I’ve really lost it or if I never really had it. I mean, I once heard a sportswriter say that Melo is the prophet that’s going to lead Denver to the promised land. And while that might taste worse to me than the Folgers in my cup, it’s easier to swallow than the blind belief of my wife and my mother in a God that’s so royally screwed with me lately. In a God I’ve never seen or felt.

I’ve felt Melo.

I can believe in him.


( Promised Land )

Author: shadow_shimmer
Title: Proving Ground
Rating: NC-17
Fandom: NBA (Denver Nuggets)
Pairing: Carmelo Anthony/Eddie Najera (Implied Najera/Nash)
Disclaimer: The people may be real, this isn't.
Notes: Stephen King said something once about every writer eventually having a "target reader," or something to that effect. Y'know, someone that the author considers when they're writing. "Will soandso like this? Will this make sense to them?" Over the past year and a half, horizon_greene has become that kind of person for me. 9 out of 10 times, I write with her in mind. Then, of course, she very patiently picks her way through it and corrects all of my "its" and "it's" and "let's" and "lets" and my very, very random punctuation. Anyway. Thank you, dear.

It’s not blood; it’s tears and that’s okay with me. Everything’s okay with me, suddenly. I just played a game that lasted forever against I guy I wanted to prove something to and I’m exhausted but hyped too, and don’t ever let anyone tell you that winning like that isn’t sexual because we’re guys out there and we can turn any conquest sexual, y’know? And while I’m thinking about it, I may have something to prove to Melo too.

Something about superstars and teammates and growing up, but none of that makes sense.




( Proving Ground )