Official Description: I didn’t know anything was missing from my life until I met him at the carnival. Were my gypsy lifestyle and unbelievable gift too much for him to accept? And was there something bigger we should have been watching for? AH
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I was hesitant about starting a fic I couldn’t pronounce. Like, even when I say it in my head now, I’m probably still saying it wrong. I can tell you this—Giofógach means gypsy in Gaelic. And that’s what Bella is. A gypsy. Not in the wearing scarves on her head and gold jewelry way, but in the transient moving city to city way. Bella, her mother and stepfather are carnival workers, and Bella has lived a carnie life throughout high school and college. While some might feel that they missed out, Bella and her best friend, Alice, were home schooled by Alice’s mother, Madame Esmeralda, and learned more than the standard curriculum.
In a world of clairvoyants and palm readers, words like fíorghrá, or true love, are common place. There’s a very mystical element to this story and it’s not just the usual Alice-has-a-hunch plotline. Bella has her own unusual gift, too.
At three chapters in, the action has just begun. Alice’s cousin Edward will be traveling with the carnival for the summer, and there is an immediate connection between Bella and Edward. Her growing feelings for him and their chemistry is palpable.
I turned to face the man, who also appeared to be in a bit of shock. Here he was…my fíorghrá …standing in front of me for the first time. The enormity of this knowledge temporarily confounded me. I froze as I tried to think through what I should do next. Edward ran his hand through his hair and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He heaved a sigh, and when his minty breath washed over me, I snapped out of my stupor instantly.
“Hi, I’m Bella Swan,” I whispered, feeling shy and slightly vulnerable. “It’s really nice to meet you.” I held my hand out for him to shake and took a step closer, as I felt the electricity between us begin to pulse once more.
“I’m Edward Masen. And it’s, uh, really nice to meet you, too,” he replied quietly, as he took my hand and held it between his larger ones. The electricity surrounding us increased tenfold as our skin once again made contact and I gasped at the sensation.
I love the way that ltlerthqak describes their growing attraction, and I love the words she uses:
The wind sang, the stars laughed and the grass swayed in joy as light and color overwhelmed me. Every particle, every ion, every speck of energy rushed to dance along my skin. I had never felt anything so electrifying. I found myself struggling to stay upright as his lips moved softly against my own. I placed my hands on Edward’s chest and gripped his shirt, pulling him closer to me. His hands landed lightly on my hips, steadying me with a gentle pressure.
So pretty. How will things turn out for the fíorghrás? Can’t wait to find out.
Every once in a while, you’re lucky enough to find one of those stories that just grabs you from the very first paragraph.
Wildflowers and clouds. Hope and sweetness. The scents on the air floated through my open window and lured me tenderly from sleep. A gentle hum vibrated against my body, like delicate fingers gliding over my skin. Each individual sensation converged and brought to mind a single perception of the day – fresh.
I was hooked. Right there, I had to know more.
In all the fic I’ve read—and I read a lot of fic—I’ve never seen anything like this. Bella is a real-life, legit, carnie. Traveling and living the life of a gypsy since she was thirteen. She’s now an adult with a very… peculiar and interesting gift. Her ability—or as Emmett so lovingly calls it: ‘smell-o-vision,’ is original and so very gorgeous and is something she discovered just before she and Renee joined the carnival.
When I was thirteen, we lived in Phoenix, Arizona. A few months after we moved in, the church at the end of our block hosted a small carnival. Renee and I were thrilled – three full days of rides and fair food! I woke up on opening morning to the scent of roses, cut grass, bliss and a warm, musky scent I couldn’t identify. We were some of the first people through the gates that day and spent all afternoon playing games, riding rides and eating junk food together. When Renee led me over to the Roll-A-Ball game, I noticed the scent again – warm, earthy, with a slight sweetness, like clover honey sitting in the sun. Renee was laughing brightly, money in hand, when the game attendant turned and looked at her.
You know how some people can see a person’s aura? Basically, Bella can smell them. Not only that, but she can smell when someone is close to their fíorghrá or true love. And while this may not sound like much, what ltlerthqak has done here? It’s simply a beautiful and powerful way for two of our favorite characters to find each other and be connected.
I walked towards the open field just beyond the cars, hoping to catch a breeze to help clear my head. I suddenly stopped halfway across the lot, captivated by a scent that almost knocked me to my knees. It was sweet – with a depth similar to caramel, a hint of rain and just a slight whisper of vanilla. I felt my stomach clench and my body lock in place as the aroma encompassed me.
There were no thoughts, no sounds – just a feeling of completeness I had never experienced before. I stood for seconds, minutes, hours…it could have been a lifetime for all I knew as time ceased to exist. At some point, I realized the scent was dwindling and I began turning in a circle trying to locate the person with such an amazing essence. I stumbled in and out of the rows, back and forth through the lot, trying to pinpoint the glorious aroma. Unfortunately, whoever tempted me so had long since disappeared.
Throughout the first chapter there is an expectation of Edward’s arrival. As another carnie (Alice’s) cousin, who is coming to travel with them for the summer, his presence isn’t surprising. But when Bella meets him face-to-face and finds the source of the gorgeous smell?
Well, let’s just say anything can happen…
If there was one thing I would remember about that night, it was the tranquility that surrounded me. Time slowed down as I reached my destination and there was suddenly no movement in the air. The man at the table turned to greet me. When his eyes met mine the world stood completely still. No breeze, no sound from Alice’s jumping, no laughter from the passing patrons…just stillness.
He rose slowly from the table while staring at me with a shocked expression on his face. I felt this undeniable pull towards him, as if nothing else mattered but bringing our bodies together. He must have felt the same tug because we both took a step forward, my measured movements a mirror image to his. My foot landed on something unsteady, and I stumbled slightly forward. The man’s hand grabbed my upper arm to steady me, and we both gasped.
As we made contact for the first time, I was inundated by a kaleidoscope of sensation. It was as if the sky exploded into pink and purple sparkles. The scent of warm caramel and rain surrounded me to such an extent that my mouth watered from the taste of it in the air. An electric current ran up and down my body and the only sound was the beating of my own heart as it tried to pound its way out of my chest. I stopped moving and allowed my senses to deal with the overwhelming stimulation encircling me.
It’s such an enchanting setup, because these two can feel the pull toward each other and Bella knows—because of her ability—who he is to her. But there is still that awkwardness, that getting to know you stage and the fumbling of a new relationship while people get to know each other that I love so so much. You can practically feel the UST jumping off the screen at you when these two interact.
And it’s not just Edward and Bella, either. The other characters—Emmett, Alice, Renee, Phil, Esme, Mrs. C—are fantastic, funny and fresh. With only three chapters posted, the possibility for the future is exciting and I cannot wait to see where this goes. I’m most definitely on the edge of my seat, panting and begging for updates already.
This story deserves much more love and I need you all to join me in fangirling the hell out of ltlerthqak. So go read it, right now. You won’t be sorry! And don’t forget to leave her lots of love.
Uniqueness always sucks me into a fic, and Giofógach got me as soon as I found out two things: 1] Bella is a CARNIE, and 2] Bella has, as Emmett puts it, smell-o-vision.
As far as I know, no other fics include Bella as a carnie (and note that while I read a lot of fic, I have by no means read every Twific in existence). The world of carnies sort of cracks me up in general. While I’m sure there are carnies who bathe and lead relatively normal lives, that’s not really my experience. I have family involved in carnivals from a ride inspection standpoint, which basically ensures that I will never go on a carnival or fair ride, but that’s neither here nor there. My point is that based on the people I’ve met, carnies are stinky, kind of gross, and missing teeth. Luckily, ltlerthqak makes her carnies interested in cleanliness, and I get a total kick out of reading Bella as a carnie.
So, let’s talk about this smell-o-vision thing. It’s sort of a shout out to canon Edward’s mind reading ability in many ways, but near as I can gather, Bella’s super power is sort of like seeing auras… but instead she can differentiate smells in unique ways. It doesn’t sound like it would such a great superpower, but in the hands of ltlerthqak, it becomes, well, magical. Take, for instance, the way Bella describes catching a whiff of Edward for the first time – a depth similar to caramel, a hint of rain and just a slight whisper of vanilla – or the scene she writes when Renee meets Phil for the first time:
When I was thirteen, we lived in Phoenix, Arizona. A few months after we moved in, the church at the end of our block hosted a small carnival. Renee and I were thrilled – three full days of rides and fair food! I woke up on opening morning to the scent of roses, cut grass, bliss and a warm, musky scent I couldn’t identify. We were some of the first people through the gates that day and spent all afternoon playing games, riding rides and eating junk food together. When Renee led me over to the Roll-A-Ball game, I noticed the scent again – warm, earthy, with a slight sweetness, like clover honey sitting in the sun. Renee was laughing brightly, money in hand, when the game attendant turned and looked at her.
It makes me want to sniff convulsively. Of course, here in my house, it basically just smells like pet hair, so maybe not.
Another unique thing about this fic is Emmett. It’s not that Emmett isn’t your standard issue, loud, giant teddy bear type, but ltlerthqak writes him in as Mike Newton’s adopted brother. I love that! Her use of Esme also made me laugh: Madam Esmeralda, the owner of the fortune telling tent, also known as Esme. Come on, that’s brilliant. Hah!
Giofógach, which reminds me a little of Water for Elephants or Chocolat in various ways in terms of its themes and setting so far, offers something a little different in the Twific world combined with some lovely UST. Consider this scene, which had me glued to my computer screen:
“It’s not the dark that I’m afraid of,” he said softly, his voice sounding a little rougher than normal. He wrapped his arms around my waist and gently tugged me towards him. Shifting forward, I draped my arms around his neck and moved my hands into his hair. I ran my nails along his scalp and pulled the strands between my fingers lightly, surprised by how soft they were against my skin. Edward’s head fell back and he sighed softly, showing his approval.
He brought his head back up, our noses touching once more, skin gliding over skin as we moved slightly. The tension, the anticipation, the not knowing whether our lips would finally meet or not was driving me insane. The ballsy carnie in me wanted to just grab him and pull his head to mine, devouring his mouth. The shy little girl inside of me wanted to wait and see if Edward would initiate our first kiss.
A mix of the two extremes won out. I leaned in slowly, planning to brush my lips against his. Before we could make contact, I smelled cut grass and heard a rustle coming from the back of the booth. I turned quickly, knowing Phil was walking towards us. Not wanting to have my dad see us in a compromising position, I pulled myself from Edward’s arms and stepped away.
:sigh: Yeah, that’s good stuff. Give it a read.
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