for A Voice in the Darkness3/31/2011 c1 Tulipp
This story should be required reading for anyone who browses the stories produced in this fandom at this website.
I share a bit of your ambivalence about whether Twific should be understood as entertainment only. But it seems that lately, more more stories pop up that take slavery as just one more option in the range of available romantic gestures, and I am less and less comfortable with what is happening.
You are holding a mirror up here, and I wish all those other writers who play with slavery and frankly BDSM as if they are dressing up dolls in Barbie clothes would take a long, hard look.
Plus, the writing here is good. It is stark; I felt like you didn't use one single word more than you needed to. I admire the sharpness of it.
This story should be required reading for anyone who browses the stories produced in this fandom at this website.
I share a bit of your ambivalence about whether Twific should be understood as entertainment only. But it seems that lately, more more stories pop up that take slavery as just one more option in the range of available romantic gestures, and I am less and less comfortable with what is happening.
You are holding a mirror up here, and I wish all those other writers who play with slavery and frankly BDSM as if they are dressing up dolls in Barbie clothes would take a long, hard look.
Plus, the writing here is good. It is stark; I felt like you didn't use one single word more than you needed to. I admire the sharpness of it.
3/31/2011 c1 Beck79
I read this yesterday and wanted to wait before I reviewed to give me time to think about what I wanted to say. Firstly I thought that it was very well written and secondly that you were brave to post given the subject matter. It made uncomfortable reading but that was the point.
Several times recently there have been stories in the national press here of young girls smuggled into the UK and used as slaves. Toddlers brought in from Eastern Europe and trained to pick pocket on the streets. None of these stories are ever headline news, they always come after the latest exploits of footballers and their girlfriends or the story about the reality TV stars nights out with their new men. I don't know what has to happen before people start taking modern day slavery seriously.
Anyway, ramble over, thanks for sharing.
I read this yesterday and wanted to wait before I reviewed to give me time to think about what I wanted to say. Firstly I thought that it was very well written and secondly that you were brave to post given the subject matter. It made uncomfortable reading but that was the point.
Several times recently there have been stories in the national press here of young girls smuggled into the UK and used as slaves. Toddlers brought in from Eastern Europe and trained to pick pocket on the streets. None of these stories are ever headline news, they always come after the latest exploits of footballers and their girlfriends or the story about the reality TV stars nights out with their new men. I don't know what has to happen before people start taking modern day slavery seriously.
Anyway, ramble over, thanks for sharing.
3/31/2011 c1 
8jennde
Thank you for writing this.
The spate of slavery stories in the fandom is horrifying. Scary is the mind that can come up with a story that glorifies slavery and have Bella "fall in love" with her captor and rapist. Scarier are the women who read and review with glowing comments about how "sexy" it is and how "hot" Edward is. I have no idea what this world is coming to. What world do these people live in where this is acceptable because his name is Edward and he's good looking?
I literally feel sick from this. I don't know if it's because I have a daughter or because of the simple fact that you've written it so powerfully and this shouldn't happen to *anyone's* child. And every woman who reads and glorifies those other stories should read this. There is NOTHING sexy about rape. NOTHING. Slavery is REAL. Sorry, I'm feeling emotional after reading.
You have captured every parent's worst nightmare – I want to say beautifully, but there's nothing beautiful about rape and slavery. Maybe accurately is more appropriate.
Thank you for having the courage to write this story and let everyone know that it's NOT OKAY. I have nothing but the utmost respect for you.
Thank you for writing.
8jenndeThank you for writing this.
The spate of slavery stories in the fandom is horrifying. Scary is the mind that can come up with a story that glorifies slavery and have Bella "fall in love" with her captor and rapist. Scarier are the women who read and review with glowing comments about how "sexy" it is and how "hot" Edward is. I have no idea what this world is coming to. What world do these people live in where this is acceptable because his name is Edward and he's good looking?
I literally feel sick from this. I don't know if it's because I have a daughter or because of the simple fact that you've written it so powerfully and this shouldn't happen to *anyone's* child. And every woman who reads and glorifies those other stories should read this. There is NOTHING sexy about rape. NOTHING. Slavery is REAL. Sorry, I'm feeling emotional after reading.
You have captured every parent's worst nightmare – I want to say beautifully, but there's nothing beautiful about rape and slavery. Maybe accurately is more appropriate.
Thank you for having the courage to write this story and let everyone know that it's NOT OKAY. I have nothing but the utmost respect for you.
Thank you for writing.
3/31/2011 c1 ThePastXThePast
As heartbreaking and intense as that was, it's wa also beautiful in it's honesty. My heart thumped in my chest the whole time. I could feel every moment of despair and hopelessness. You are amazing and I'm sure t was very challenging to write that, even new ao to recover from writing it. (HUGS)
As heartbreaking and intense as that was, it's wa also beautiful in it's honesty. My heart thumped in my chest the whole time. I could feel every moment of despair and hopelessness. You are amazing and I'm sure t was very challenging to write that, even new ao to recover from writing it. (HUGS)
3/31/2011 c1 dixielou8
I cant sign in at work but this is my ff.net name.
I recently went to a church thing where I live. There was a woman there that talked about this. She said that the number one place this selling/slavary takes place is in Atlanta, Georgia. I could not believe it. I live in Alabama and to know that this goes on one state beside me made me sick to my stomach. There is a website wellspringsliving(dot)org. You can go to this website and see how this facility is helping these girls who have suffered this terrible trauma.
Thanks for writing this story. It was very hard to read, but I think you made your point.
I cant sign in at work but this is my ff.net name.
I recently went to a church thing where I live. There was a woman there that talked about this. She said that the number one place this selling/slavary takes place is in Atlanta, Georgia. I could not believe it. I live in Alabama and to know that this goes on one state beside me made me sick to my stomach. There is a website wellspringsliving(dot)org. You can go to this website and see how this facility is helping these girls who have suffered this terrible trauma.
Thanks for writing this story. It was very hard to read, but I think you made your point.
3/31/2011 c1 2HopeStreet
I did all kinds of research when I was reading Emancipation Proclamation. It’s crazy how much is not known about what is really going on in the underbelly of society. It reminds me of the opening scene of Blue Velvet where from far it’s a love blade of grass but as you get closer, you can see the dirt and the bugs and if you can focus any better, you can see all kinds of other levels of what lives where they can’t be easily seen. If there are anywhere between 12 and 27 million slaves in the U.S., where are they? Why are they so under the radar? It sickens me to think how much force and threat of force and brainwashing is used to keep these people in line. I do take my freedom for granted, and I sometimes don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse, especially when I read about the reality of life in the U.S.
Thank you for writing this story. It wasn’t pretty, but suffering like this never is.
2HopeStreetI did all kinds of research when I was reading Emancipation Proclamation. It’s crazy how much is not known about what is really going on in the underbelly of society. It reminds me of the opening scene of Blue Velvet where from far it’s a love blade of grass but as you get closer, you can see the dirt and the bugs and if you can focus any better, you can see all kinds of other levels of what lives where they can’t be easily seen. If there are anywhere between 12 and 27 million slaves in the U.S., where are they? Why are they so under the radar? It sickens me to think how much force and threat of force and brainwashing is used to keep these people in line. I do take my freedom for granted, and I sometimes don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse, especially when I read about the reality of life in the U.S.
Thank you for writing this story. It wasn’t pretty, but suffering like this never is.
3/31/2011 c1 AccioBourbon
{{Kate}} The mom in me knows this must have taken you to some dark places as you researched and wrote, and I hope you've come out the other side of it relatively okay?
Like Caren, I read this last night and then tossed and turned for a long time. I think it was powerful and moving and straight-to-the-gut honest.
Like you, I think people are "free" to write what they want, even if it romanticizes - or completely misrepresents - reality. But I also believe that the first rule of *good* writing is to tell the truth. And that you have done, to the benefit of all who read this.
But I want to talk about the writing, too. There were several passages that jumped out at me:
"Rosalie was lucky, because she managed to kill herself the day before I was sold." Rosalie is kind of my "area of interest" in twific, and I've always maintained that the key to understanding her character and her behavior is understanding her lack of choice, and therefore the lack of power, she felt over her own life. I cried here because my Rose finally got a choice - and she found some control and she grabbed it.
""What's your name?" she asks. Her voice is even softer now. It's like she's soothing a wounded animal.
"Bella," I whisper."
It wasn't lost on me that Bella gave Alice her real name, not her slave name, the name her abusers had called her. That was a very tiny glimmer of hope that she had somehow retained a bit of herself, even to that point.
But we see further on that the damage is deep, and probably irreversible. I started to cry when I read this:
"The moment we step outside, I'm overwhelmed and unthinkingly, I grip the arm of his that's holding on to me. The sounds of the city, so loud after a year and a half indoors, scare me senseless. The sun is so bright that I have to squint, and the wind, coming off the Lake, he said, is still frigid. It makes me shiver, and the contrast with the warmth of the sun's rays on my back makes me want to cry."
I cannot even wrap my head around the idea of being held indoors for over a year. In addition to all of the physical and emotional abuse, she's probably now agoraphobic.
"I wander around the apartment. I'm numb and empty. I do nothing but live inside my head. I don't watch television. I don't read at all. That desire has been killed completely."
That made me cry, too. She's so broken at this point that she has no desire at all to feed her imagination, no ability any more to mentally escape her reality. At this point, I too believe that her own death is all that's left to her. The sense of futility at this point is almost overwhelming, and it's painful. "I will always be this – this phantom of a body."
And the ending. It was horrifying, but at the same time, you gave her something. She found a measure of control, and she took it. And though she dies, she dies with that knowledge.
I've been reading Twific for almost 3 years now, and nothing has ever - or likely WILL ever - stay with me the way this story has. Thank you for writing, K. &heart.
{{Kate}} The mom in me knows this must have taken you to some dark places as you researched and wrote, and I hope you've come out the other side of it relatively okay?
Like Caren, I read this last night and then tossed and turned for a long time. I think it was powerful and moving and straight-to-the-gut honest.
Like you, I think people are "free" to write what they want, even if it romanticizes - or completely misrepresents - reality. But I also believe that the first rule of *good* writing is to tell the truth. And that you have done, to the benefit of all who read this.
But I want to talk about the writing, too. There were several passages that jumped out at me:
"Rosalie was lucky, because she managed to kill herself the day before I was sold." Rosalie is kind of my "area of interest" in twific, and I've always maintained that the key to understanding her character and her behavior is understanding her lack of choice, and therefore the lack of power, she felt over her own life. I cried here because my Rose finally got a choice - and she found some control and she grabbed it.
""What's your name?" she asks. Her voice is even softer now. It's like she's soothing a wounded animal.
"Bella," I whisper."
It wasn't lost on me that Bella gave Alice her real name, not her slave name, the name her abusers had called her. That was a very tiny glimmer of hope that she had somehow retained a bit of herself, even to that point.
But we see further on that the damage is deep, and probably irreversible. I started to cry when I read this:
"The moment we step outside, I'm overwhelmed and unthinkingly, I grip the arm of his that's holding on to me. The sounds of the city, so loud after a year and a half indoors, scare me senseless. The sun is so bright that I have to squint, and the wind, coming off the Lake, he said, is still frigid. It makes me shiver, and the contrast with the warmth of the sun's rays on my back makes me want to cry."
I cannot even wrap my head around the idea of being held indoors for over a year. In addition to all of the physical and emotional abuse, she's probably now agoraphobic.
"I wander around the apartment. I'm numb and empty. I do nothing but live inside my head. I don't watch television. I don't read at all. That desire has been killed completely."
That made me cry, too. She's so broken at this point that she has no desire at all to feed her imagination, no ability any more to mentally escape her reality. At this point, I too believe that her own death is all that's left to her. The sense of futility at this point is almost overwhelming, and it's painful. "I will always be this – this phantom of a body."
And the ending. It was horrifying, but at the same time, you gave her something. She found a measure of control, and she took it. And though she dies, she dies with that knowledge.
I've been reading Twific for almost 3 years now, and nothing has ever - or likely WILL ever - stay with me the way this story has. Thank you for writing, K. &heart.
3/31/2011 c1 Sunshinemommy
As difficult as this story is to read, I love that you used Edward as Isabella's abuser/owner, and the US as the setting. It's easy to assume that in the "land of the free" all men truly are free and that good-looking guy that seems so sweet really is sweet. Sadly, that's not always the case. How sad is it that slaves are still imported into the US?
Thanks for writing this.
As difficult as this story is to read, I love that you used Edward as Isabella's abuser/owner, and the US as the setting. It's easy to assume that in the "land of the free" all men truly are free and that good-looking guy that seems so sweet really is sweet. Sadly, that's not always the case. How sad is it that slaves are still imported into the US?
Thanks for writing this.
3/31/2011 c1 1nerac
katinki,
I read this last night before going to sleep (which I don't recommend, btw), but I wanted to come back this morning and leave a review to say thank you. Thank you for having the guts to write this piece and for reminding all of us that there are things in the world that just cannot be ignored or looked over. This is most definitely one of them. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets the message and whose eyes are open a little wider after reading it. Spectacular job, sweets.
xoxo
~caren
1nerackatinki,
I read this last night before going to sleep (which I don't recommend, btw), but I wanted to come back this morning and leave a review to say thank you. Thank you for having the guts to write this piece and for reminding all of us that there are things in the world that just cannot be ignored or looked over. This is most definitely one of them. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets the message and whose eyes are open a little wider after reading it. Spectacular job, sweets.
xoxo
~caren
3/31/2011 c1 Ms.LadyOfCalibre
Thank you so very much for writing this. This was a much needed message many in this fandom - and others - needed to hear loud and clear. None of what you have mentioned is in any way sexy or hot, yet it is very often portrayed that way purely under the guise of it being fan-fiction. Well it shouldn't work that way. Others get a bad name due this when in reality they do not condone this type of behaviour in any way, shape or form.
I needed to read this. Others need to read it too.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Ms.LoC x
Thank you so very much for writing this. This was a much needed message many in this fandom - and others - needed to hear loud and clear. None of what you have mentioned is in any way sexy or hot, yet it is very often portrayed that way purely under the guise of it being fan-fiction. Well it shouldn't work that way. Others get a bad name due this when in reality they do not condone this type of behaviour in any way, shape or form.
I needed to read this. Others need to read it too.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Ms.LoC x
3/31/2011 c1 ccaajjaa
I don't know what to say, my heart is beating too fast & my stomach is in knots & that is just from reading. Thank you for writing AV in the D.
I don't know what to say, my heart is beating too fast & my stomach is in knots & that is just from reading. Thank you for writing AV in the D.
3/31/2011 c1 futuregirl1709
This was heartbreaking and I still have tears in my eyes. I'm a little overwhelmed by it, so I'm not sure what I want to say, but I think you're so brave for writing and posting this story! And it's really something that needed to be read, you know? Because it's so real, and I loved the way you phrased it in your AN: "Sexual slavery has nothing to do with romance, and there is no such thing as a HEA. It is nothing but abuse, human debasement, and rape, even if the oppressor is attractive and named Edward." People forget that sometimes.
I think your writing was great, and you really managed to get the message out there. This will probably stay on my mind for at least a few days, and that's a compliment for your style of writing! You handled the subject really well.
Thank you!
This was heartbreaking and I still have tears in my eyes. I'm a little overwhelmed by it, so I'm not sure what I want to say, but I think you're so brave for writing and posting this story! And it's really something that needed to be read, you know? Because it's so real, and I loved the way you phrased it in your AN: "Sexual slavery has nothing to do with romance, and there is no such thing as a HEA. It is nothing but abuse, human debasement, and rape, even if the oppressor is attractive and named Edward." People forget that sometimes.
I think your writing was great, and you really managed to get the message out there. This will probably stay on my mind for at least a few days, and that's a compliment for your style of writing! You handled the subject really well.
Thank you!
3/31/2011 c1 moniq25
Thank you for writing this. The level of absurd in this fandom has no boundaries and it's important that, from time to time, someone remind the readers and the authors, that when Edward is forcing Bella to do anything, he is not fucking prince charming, but depraved monster.
Thank you once again.
Thank you for writing this. The level of absurd in this fandom has no boundaries and it's important that, from time to time, someone remind the readers and the authors, that when Edward is forcing Bella to do anything, he is not fucking prince charming, but depraved monster.
Thank you once again.