for A Voice in the Darkness3/30/2011 c1 lippylou
Hi sweetie
Well done! It is so important to draw attention to the horror that so many women and children live with. You are right, there is nothing romantic about 1 human being owning another. I think you portrayed Bella's desperation very clearly, the emptiness inside of her as everything that made her who she was, was taken away from her.
Thank you for being brave and posting this.
Hugs
Annette
Hi sweetie
Well done! It is so important to draw attention to the horror that so many women and children live with. You are right, there is nothing romantic about 1 human being owning another. I think you portrayed Bella's desperation very clearly, the emptiness inside of her as everything that made her who she was, was taken away from her.
Thank you for being brave and posting this.
Hugs
Annette
3/30/2011 c1 
2ilovealion
I appreciate the honesty of your story. I admit that I have read (and enjoyed) several fanfic stories about slavery. The thing is: they romanticize something that is real and truly horrible.
Question: Does giving a HEA to something that is, in reality, truly heinous wrong? No. I don't think so. It's called fiction for a reason. Tragedy strikes, horrible circumstances abound, natural disasters maim and kill, war destroys, children die-devastation surrounds us and bombards us every day from our tvs and computer screens. Thank God for some made up HEAs. We all know that- fiction is fiction is fiction. I love it and use it to for the perfect HEAs and to make me smile...all the while knowing that they're fantasy.
HEA, in reality, come from inside each and every one of us. Not from finding the perfect Edward who's rich and showers us with love and romance.No-I'm not jaded and unhappy. I have a wonderful husband, kids, life-I live in reality and come to fanfic for my fantasy.
So, thank you for your honest portrayal of the disgusting world of human slavery. It will definitely come to mind when I read the fantasy versions.
Thanks for writing, so much!
2ilovealionI appreciate the honesty of your story. I admit that I have read (and enjoyed) several fanfic stories about slavery. The thing is: they romanticize something that is real and truly horrible.
Question: Does giving a HEA to something that is, in reality, truly heinous wrong? No. I don't think so. It's called fiction for a reason. Tragedy strikes, horrible circumstances abound, natural disasters maim and kill, war destroys, children die-devastation surrounds us and bombards us every day from our tvs and computer screens. Thank God for some made up HEAs. We all know that- fiction is fiction is fiction. I love it and use it to for the perfect HEAs and to make me smile...all the while knowing that they're fantasy.
HEA, in reality, come from inside each and every one of us. Not from finding the perfect Edward who's rich and showers us with love and romance.No-I'm not jaded and unhappy. I have a wonderful husband, kids, life-I live in reality and come to fanfic for my fantasy.
So, thank you for your honest portrayal of the disgusting world of human slavery. It will definitely come to mind when I read the fantasy versions.
Thanks for writing, so much!
3/30/2011 c1 23Alby Mangroves
"They don't exist. I don't exist. I'm not really here."
"It's like he wants to play some fucked up version of 'house'."
"And my body hurts so much. But my soul hurts even more."
I will honestly say that I wish I hadn't just gotten home tonight and eaten my dinner before reading this, because I'm sick to my stomach. Bella's story reminds me of the Natascha Kampusch story, and the things she says she will never discuss. The things that her kidnapper did to her in the years he kept her in a concrete cell in his basement. He broke her down to such an extent that eventually, he trusted her to go out in public with him, knowing that she would not disobey him. One day, safe in his ownership of her, she just walked out while he was busy elsewhere in the house, went to a neighbor and begged for help. He had held her captive for eight years, from the age of ten.
I know that she's lucky to have survived the ordeal, and that others aren't so lucky. But maybe, it's not something that they themselves view as luck. I'll repeat what I said to you on Twitter: this was confronting and incredibly difficult to read. I cried over it, but I don't regret reading it. Because it makes me more vigilant in protecting my children and more grateful for their peaceful sleeping faces right now, safe in their beds, unlike Bella and millions of others who will never know that kind of peace again.
Shocking, confronting; yes. The worst part? It rings true. Your Bella was of age. I have no doubt this atrocity happens to children too. Be proud for speaking out for the voiceless ones. Thanks you for writing this with unflinching respect for their pain and suffering. Thank you for your courage in sharing it.
23Alby Mangroves"They don't exist. I don't exist. I'm not really here."
"It's like he wants to play some fucked up version of 'house'."
"And my body hurts so much. But my soul hurts even more."
I will honestly say that I wish I hadn't just gotten home tonight and eaten my dinner before reading this, because I'm sick to my stomach. Bella's story reminds me of the Natascha Kampusch story, and the things she says she will never discuss. The things that her kidnapper did to her in the years he kept her in a concrete cell in his basement. He broke her down to such an extent that eventually, he trusted her to go out in public with him, knowing that she would not disobey him. One day, safe in his ownership of her, she just walked out while he was busy elsewhere in the house, went to a neighbor and begged for help. He had held her captive for eight years, from the age of ten.
I know that she's lucky to have survived the ordeal, and that others aren't so lucky. But maybe, it's not something that they themselves view as luck. I'll repeat what I said to you on Twitter: this was confronting and incredibly difficult to read. I cried over it, but I don't regret reading it. Because it makes me more vigilant in protecting my children and more grateful for their peaceful sleeping faces right now, safe in their beds, unlike Bella and millions of others who will never know that kind of peace again.
Shocking, confronting; yes. The worst part? It rings true. Your Bella was of age. I have no doubt this atrocity happens to children too. Be proud for speaking out for the voiceless ones. Thanks you for writing this with unflinching respect for their pain and suffering. Thank you for your courage in sharing it.
3/30/2011 c1 4Oo Levannah oO
I need to be honest here, I didn't read the whole thing entirely. It made me feel sick and nauseous. That's just how well it's written. I honestly don't know how you're gonna be able to write another fic in which edward is nice because my mind has been tainted forever.
It was too hard for me to read it complelety vut I know how it ends. It's heartbreaking. I admire you for having the courage to write and post this.
4Oo Levannah oOI need to be honest here, I didn't read the whole thing entirely. It made me feel sick and nauseous. That's just how well it's written. I honestly don't know how you're gonna be able to write another fic in which edward is nice because my mind has been tainted forever.
It was too hard for me to read it complelety vut I know how it ends. It's heartbreaking. I admire you for having the courage to write and post this.
3/30/2011 c1 3reve2weaver
I love the opportunity FFn gives us to write about taboo things that either play a role in our lives either metaphorically or politically.
Slavery is obviously a multifaceted metaphor, but it is not hard to miss that without your middleman James, this could be a allegorical story of domestic violence. When Isabella turns away from Alice, afraid of her punishment, an abused wife justifies her isolation by truly believing she is worthless. As an abused wife,Isabella would cling to her husband in the park, never imaging any other life without him. Her favorite books would be the ones he picked for her. This is also true of young girls lured onto the streets by the pimps they blindly follow and defend in court.
Both codependency scenarios are far more common than slavery, but all three are perpetuated in the same mechanism; women not questioning their autonomy and giving it over to male power. As women we must make way for the chance for all our voices, all our stories, that is our freedom; when we are heard.
3reve2weaverI love the opportunity FFn gives us to write about taboo things that either play a role in our lives either metaphorically or politically.
Slavery is obviously a multifaceted metaphor, but it is not hard to miss that without your middleman James, this could be a allegorical story of domestic violence. When Isabella turns away from Alice, afraid of her punishment, an abused wife justifies her isolation by truly believing she is worthless. As an abused wife,Isabella would cling to her husband in the park, never imaging any other life without him. Her favorite books would be the ones he picked for her. This is also true of young girls lured onto the streets by the pimps they blindly follow and defend in court.
Both codependency scenarios are far more common than slavery, but all three are perpetuated in the same mechanism; women not questioning their autonomy and giving it over to male power. As women we must make way for the chance for all our voices, all our stories, that is our freedom; when we are heard.
3/30/2011 c1 6yogacat
People read fic for so many reasons.Escape is one of them. But when that escape takes them away from the real world, whether it be their disappointing life, the overwhelming emotion of it all, or the world and all its ugliness...a piece like this is needed to ground us all.
Well done. Beautifully written. You put a name to a face, and in this world that's important, but in the real world, it could be any one of us.
And it is some of us. It is all of us.
You're very brave.
6yogacatPeople read fic for so many reasons.Escape is one of them. But when that escape takes them away from the real world, whether it be their disappointing life, the overwhelming emotion of it all, or the world and all its ugliness...a piece like this is needed to ground us all.
Well done. Beautifully written. You put a name to a face, and in this world that's important, but in the real world, it could be any one of us.
And it is some of us. It is all of us.
You're very brave.
3/30/2011 c1 ClancyJane
I can't stop the tears in my eyes and I can't stop my heart aching, the worse thing is neither of those things happened till I read the last two words...
'My Choice' you giving Bella that was the most compassionate yet saddest of things ever... I feel numb
I can't stop the tears in my eyes and I can't stop my heart aching, the worse thing is neither of those things happened till I read the last two words...
'My Choice' you giving Bella that was the most compassionate yet saddest of things ever... I feel numb
3/30/2011 c1 5OscarInTheCan
I am going to admit that I didn't read this. I'm just not in a place to read something like this. I'm glad that I read the end A/N and that you did post this. I have been utterly disgusted by the number of fics in this fandom that have Edward owning slave Bella and it is depicted as something romantic and sensual and that there is any HEA to be had. I am disgusted that any of them has found popularity. I really wish I felt like I could handle reading this. Thank you for making the statement.
5OscarInTheCanI am going to admit that I didn't read this. I'm just not in a place to read something like this. I'm glad that I read the end A/N and that you did post this. I have been utterly disgusted by the number of fics in this fandom that have Edward owning slave Bella and it is depicted as something romantic and sensual and that there is any HEA to be had. I am disgusted that any of them has found popularity. I really wish I felt like I could handle reading this. Thank you for making the statement.
3/30/2011 c1 claireoth
*hugs*
Well done you being brave enough to put this up, it's one of those taboo subjects that never get talked about but at the end of the day it's is someone's reality.
♥♥♥
*hugs*
Well done you being brave enough to put this up, it's one of those taboo subjects that never get talked about but at the end of the day it's is someone's reality.
♥♥♥
3/30/2011 c1 Victoria
Wow. Okay, so I guess you also don't like how 'Could be worse, right' is making slavery sound romantic.
Very hard hitting, very emotional, but very very good. I'm glad you wrote this and shared it with us.
Wow. Okay, so I guess you also don't like how 'Could be worse, right' is making slavery sound romantic.
Very hard hitting, very emotional, but very very good. I'm glad you wrote this and shared it with us.