Content1's Cravings

I was honored to recommend Breathing Hope by the Joker's Daughter this Tuesday. She was kind enough to do a quick interview for me.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Um… I do not consider myself an interesting person, but I will try my best with this one. I am closer to 30 than I am to 20. I am from Georgia, so I say and write y’all a lot, and I call everyone hun/honey or sweet-pea, though I am trying to stop myself from using that last one, because it usually gets me weird look.

I have a few OCDs, and I am ADD and have a fear of speaking in real life, social situations. I can stand up in front of a crowd and sing, act, give a speech, but I tend to panic when I have to be “social”. I am a CNA, but I want to go back one day and get my RN license. I am finally learning how to cook, and I can make pancakes that would give IHOP a run for their money. When I am not obsessing over writing something to keep my hands occupied, I like to crochet. I come from a musical family, so I love to play the piano and sing. In reality, there is not a day that goes by where I do not burst out into random songs. Living in my family is like living in your own personal musical. I love food, particularly sushi, and good wine. I also love good tea and Starbucks.

What made you decide to begin writing Fan Fiction?

Well, I have actually been involved in fanfiction for years, just not in the Twilight fandom. I was writing Phantom of the Opera fanfic before I even graduated high school, even though I didn’t know what fanfic was or that sites even existed for it. I just knew that I could not stand that Christine left with Raoul, particularly in Susan Kay’s Phantom. Then when the Harry Potter scene exploded, I began look for HP fics that were written by fans and, lo and behold, I found the world of fanfic. So, I did Harry Potter fics for a long while and only deleted the majority of my stories back in October of ’10. I just got burned out on what I was working on.

As far as my involvement in Twilight fanfic, I did like what I heard about Jasper Whitlock, so I started reading fanfics about him and Bella. From there I branched into Bellisle and Bellaro, and I found that I really liked Carlisle’s character, so I just decided that I wanted to do one of my own, but give it a bit of a different twist. I did not want to do a Bella-got-left-broken-and-someone-came-back-to-pick-up-the-pieces story. Those are great, I admit, but there are just so many of them, and I wanted to have Bella passed that stage. So I started Washington, which is set about five years after New Moon. She had a fling with Doctor Fitch Cooper (PFach’s character on Nurse Jackie), had a baby with him and then moved back to Seattle, where she runs into the Cullens again. After that, I wanted to do a “darker” Carlisle fic, so I started the Feral Blood Saga.

Your stories revolve around Carlisle and Bella. What intrigues you about this pairing?

Honestly, I love Esme, really I do, but she and Carlisle are so much alike that I don’t see any sort of challenge between them. Yes, in couples you need to have similarities, but there is a reason that the phrase “opposites attract” exists. People need a slight challenge in their relationship. Also, when Bella is with Edward, she tends to act more like a doormat. So in the majority (note: majority) of my stories, I give her a backbone. I think that if she had been with anyone else, she would have been a stronger character and in most of my stories she and Carlisle have enough similarities to allow them to get along perfectly, but there are some differences, which allow them to challenge each other.

What do you love about Carlisle and conversely what do you feel is his greatest weakness?

I love his ability to love. There are very few people in this world who are as caring and forgiving as Carlisle. I think that if everyone had even half of the compassion and love that Carlisle does that the world we live in would be as perfect as perfect could possibly be. Now that being said (and this is going to sound so oxymoronic, I know), I think he is too passive most of the time…He is supposed to be the leader of a coven of vampires. Vampires are simply very advanced animals. Humans are animals as well, but we have suppressed a lot of our animal nature and behave in a civilized way. In my personal opinion, vampirism not only heightens things like brain function, speed, strength, but also that animalistic nature as well. With that in mind, he is far too passive to keep control of this large group of animals. He would have to be more aggressive and I don’t see that in canon-Carlisle.

What do you love about Bella and conversely what do you feel is her greatest weakness?

Well, first of all, I have to say that I have only completed book one. I’m not really a huge fan of the series. I have a lot of problems with Edward and, more importantly, Bella’s reactions to his personality. I think Bella is, in short, a doormat in the series. However, and this might be ever-so-slightly oxymoronic, I like that she is able to accept people for who and what they are.

What is the biggest obstacle you face in dealing with a non-canon pairing?

I don’t think there is one really. If you believe in what you are doing and handle it in just the right way, I don’t think it’s challenging at all.

What are some of your favorite FF stories?

Dark Moon by Seph7, the Recalcitrance series by Jamberine, Changes of the Heart by RachelxMichelle, Once Upon an Enchanted Twilight by I Need a Life Bad.

Who is your favorite author(s)?

Jamberine, I Need a Life Bad and RachelxMichelle.

Do you have any advice to those who are just starting out in the FF world? I would say to write what makes you happy. If you do not write something that makes you happy and if you let your readers influence you too much, it will show up in your work and that work will not be good. Writing, whether it is fanfic or original works, is exactly like anything else in your life. If you are not doing what you are doing because you want to, because it makes you happy, then it reflects in your work. I told someone on Twitter once that even if you get a bad review, it is still a review. You are still evoking an emotion that was obviously worthy of someone saying something to you. Yes, it might be a bit hurtful at first, but do not let it change your mind or stop you from writing what makes you happy. That is what really matters. Writing what makes you happy, no matter what the reaction, because if you are not then what is the point?

Do you have any plans to write any more dark stories? If so, please share some details!

Breathing Hope and Demonic Desire are my only really dark stories; although, the TwiMuses blog has added Feral Blood as a fixture dark fic. However, to me FB is more…feral that dark. Breathing Hope is dark, because it deals with the spiraling out of control and into a place where there is hardly any hope and Demonic Desire is dark, because…well, Carlisle is a sexual demon intent on stealing people’s souls through sex. *shrugs*

Here is a sampling of The Joker's Daughter's stories:

Demonic Desire—

I knelt down beside her bed and cooed in her ear, deceiving her mind into believing that everything she would experience was a dream before initiating my seduction. I had her entire being wrapped in my words and within moments, without having yet touched her, I had her writhing in ecstasy, the dreams that I induced within her arousing her spirit. When she was ready, I swiftly removed her clothing then softly gave her my command and watched her eyes fluttered open, a dazed look clouding their depths as I smirked down at her. I ran my cool palm down one heated breast, pinching and twisting her nipple, and my dick jerked in response to her moans. I slipped my other hand to the moist heat that waited for me and was pleased to find that she was already wet enough to be mounted. I gripped her hips firmly and aligned my engorged member with her dripping hole.

"Beg for it, my delicious treat," I teased her as I rubbed my length up and down her slit. "Beg for me to take you. Beg for me to fuck you senseless."

She did.

Virgin Madam—

"And you came back today, because…?"

"Do you want the more subtle and acceptable answer or the barefaced truth?" Well, that was surprising and more than intriguing. "Both?"

He shifted so his lips were nuzzling against my ear. "The subtle answer is that I wanted to make sure that you were okay with my presence and to see if you would accept any romantic advances. The blunt truth is that I am not human. I am a vampire. I am more in touch with my animal nature than a human male, so because of that, I have to be close to make sure that no other male comes sniffing around you. I also came back to show off, to prove that I am the more suitable mate, very much like a peacock parading around and displaying its feathers to a female."

Now he really sounded proud of himself. He chuckled at my stunned silence.

"You are speechless." He ignored my yelp as he suddenly pulled me over to straddle his lap, and he clearly enjoyed the fact that my dress had ridden up my thighs. I could only gape at his smug grin. "You know, I do believe it would be best if I had someone deliver food, because I have no plans of us leaving your apartment any time soon." He placed one hand on my hip and reached up to fist his other hand in my chocolate curls before he drew me in for a passionate kiss.

"I refuse to share you with anyone tonight, Isabella."

Washington—

I barely registered the squelching sound of the cupcake hitting the pavement as I stared at the ring. I blinked and the ring was no longer in my hand. I blinked again, thinking that maybe I had seen things, but to my surprise, it was back, only this time, it was not covered in chocolate, cherries and my saliva. And it was being held by a hand much bigger and somewhat paler than mine. His sculpted chest was abruptly against my back and one arm was securing my body to his, and I was vaguely aware of my box of cupcakes sitting on the back of the Mercedes, but that random thought was driven from my mind as he nuzzled the side of my head, his nose and lips burying in my dark curls as he held me for a few moments. Then his cool breath was tickling my ear.

"Isabella Swan—" his usually soft English tenor was heavy with emotion— "will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?"

I wanted to say yes. Really, I did. My vocal cords, however, were not responding. Thankfully, my brain was, so I nodded. I nodded vigorously. I did not want him thinking I was saying no with my silence, did I? Although, I was fairly certain that I had given my answer a week ago. But this was an absolutely beautiful surprise, even if I had told him this morning that I was not in the mood for surprises. I really liked this surprise, but I apparently still could not talk. We both chalked it up to shock.

We were just pulling into the driveway when my voice decided to make itself known.

"You made me drop my damn cupcake!"

Feral Blood—

"Bella, bella mia... My feelings for you as my mate are vastly different from the desire I have for your blood."

"Please," I begged. "I promise that I won't get upset. Just tell me, please."

I felt him nod above me and heard his heavy sigh, before he started to speak again. "While you are like a drug to my son, to be devoured completely, to me you are like a rare wine." His fingers caressed my throat slowly. "You are something so rare and divine that it would be a sin to just drain you thoughtlessly... No, Isabella. I would only occasionally soothe my palette with your delicious flavor, for you, m'uzzola, are the most tempting delight. You-" he trailed his tongue over my fluttering vein- "you are meant to be sampled, mia cocca. That is what your blood is to me," he cooed. "I could never just drink of you so carelessly, until the last drop was pulled from you. No, no, no... I wish to savor your blood for years to come."

If readers would like to stay in touch, where can they go?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/JDs-FanFiction/160029570724233

Meet our Newest Temptation!

You heard me! We have a new Temptation here at DT, and I'd like to introduce her to you. I had the privilege of rec'ing her story on Monday, and she's agreed to do a small interview for us so you can get to know her better. 

Please welcome...

We're so very excited to have her on board, and we're sure she'll fit right in here with the rest of us Ladies of the Dark. Now, check out her interview below for her story Unloved Unwanted. If you haven't read it yet, run over and do that immediately. It's so very good. 

Tell us a little about yourself.

I think the biggest thing to say about me is I’m a mom of six kids under the age of nine – two

biological and four adopted. I actually have a seventh one that claims me – she came to my

house and wouldn’t leave (SMILE). She now lives on her own. I’m a social worker by trade

and have worked with high risk kids for years. I also have a wonderful husband that puts up with

my Twilight addiction.

I am a little radical at times, but I have a strong sense of loyalty. While my first stories were

very canon, I’ve very much enjoyed journeying into more divergent realms.

I am also totally humbled that anyone takes the time to read my stuff.

How did you come about writing this story?

I was coming to the end of my very canon story, Harvest Moon, and really desired to spread

my wings. I wanted to do something different, and to be honest there were several things in

the story line in New Moon that I couldn’t equate with reality. Bella is eighteen in the story

and had effectively had her heart ripped apart twice within months. Even though Mrs. Meyers

does a great job of showing her depression, I just couldn’t see most eighteen years old holding it

together so well. I wouldn’t have. I wondered what would have happened if Bella had snapped a

little.

One of my betas, Hopeforastalemate, encouraged me to think about a totally different alternative

world, and so I began to think about what just might have happened if all the supernatural forces

in Bella’s life had reacted just a tad differently.

You have painted a very unique and different picture with the Volturi. What made you

decide to portray them in the way you did?

I found it odd to consider that Carlisle would have lived with the Volturi for several decades

if they were solely the malevolent creatures presented in Breaking Dawn. As I considered the

Volturi, the image that I saw was the monarchies of times past….families and individuals full of

intrigue, passion, deception, manipulation, love, caring, and loyalty, ie…all the things that make

up a good story. It was in this way that I could see individuals that Carlisle would have given

many years of his existence and affection.

My beta crmcneill and I had a conversation about this very fact. Afterward he challenged me

to use my ideas about Bella and create a story where the readers would still very much sense

the manipulative nature of the Volturi, but would fall in love with them in spite of it. I think his

exact words were, “Want to know how to get April to write a story? Challenge her.”

What made you decide to do the divergence chapters?

One of the other visions I had of the monarchies of old was the sexual liaisons and liberation

that have been prevalent within royal families throughout history. I had to couch this in the

parameters set in the Twilight novels, meaning the idea of mating and how it is life-long for

vampires. I wasn’t willing to break the mating established in canon, but I wanted to expand it a

little…play with it. The Divergence chapters allow me to play with those ideas and throw in a

smattering of slash. The idea of two strong men…yum. The premise that something just might

have existed at least on Aro’s side for Carlisle came from a single line in Eclipse. Jane says, “It

was nice to meet you, Carlisle – I’d thought Aro was exaggerating.”

Which version of the story do your readers tend to enjoy more?

Honestly, it is really divided. Some readers can’t handle the more liberal Divergent chapters,

while others only like them. In addition, I have readers who are reading both. I think both

versions have interesting twists which are relevant to only that story line – this gives the readers

enough to carry on with both. I have two distinct betas working with me on these stories, and you

will see their fingerprints all over the final works.

Hopeforastalemate encourages me to fly free and try just about any idea out. She’s unfailingly

supported me on the fun that has become the Divergence chapters. Her favorite couple out of the

story would be a tie between Aro and Carlisle and Esme and Marcus. If you haven’t read the

UU Divergence story, don’t have a stroke; I didn’t break up Carlisle and Esme. This is a very

different Carlisle…that is all I’ll say. She has some amazing dark stories herself on this site.

Breaking…and The Arms of Darkness.

Crmcneill is my more canon beta. He began working me around twenty chapters into Harvest

Moon, and has helped me shape some of my more interesting and unexpected twists, including

plotting the Volturi's moves and Henry's hidden gift in HM, and the resurrection of Didyme in

UU. He growls at the idea of slash or breaking up canon couples…and I’ve had to convince him

that just possibly…just maybe…Felix and Jane could have loved each other but still remained

apart. We have IM screaming matches where I have something I want to do in my story and he

explains to me why it wouldn't work. Of course, he is also excellent at finding alternatives and

compromises that satisfy my creativity and his desire to adhere to the canon.

Is it hard to write two versions of your story?

Yes, very much so. I’ve had to be very careful to document everything on my story lines so

that I don’t confuse the stories. Having said that, however, I’ve found myself writing the wrong

lines a time or two. This is where having two betas comes in handy, when I start talking about

something I want to include in the story, and they say, "Wait, when did that happen?"

What is some of your favorite FF stories?

I’m pretty eclectic actually - of course all the usual favs – Masters of the Universe, A Coming

of Age, The Training…

I have to admit though; I’ve fallen out of reading many fics lately. I’ve been so busy with

writing and betaing that I haven’t had much time. I’m enjoying a new fic I’m working with

called Between Pleasure and Pain. It has a dominant but torn Carlisle, although he isn’t

the focus on the story. Thankfully, the author SadTomato is doing some outtakes with his

perspective.

Who is your favorite author?

Aargh…I’m going to reveal my inner geek – not fair. Dante, Darwin, Machiavelli. Many of

their theories and ideas found their way into Harvest Moon. Homer…Plato and some of the

others.

Okay – enough or I’m going to get kicked off this website.

Do you have any advice to those who are just starting out in the FF world?

Don’t give up, and don’t allow the amount of reviews (or lack thereof) to affect your confidence.

Also, my betas have bolstered me many times when I felt like giving up, so my best suggestion is

find a good beta and group of supporters and hang on to them as hard as possible.

Also, don’t get too hung up on contests. Often, they are just popularity contests, and although

well written stories do win, that is not always the case. Write because you love it…not because

you expect to win something.

Do you have any plans to write any more dark stories? If so, please share some details!

Hm… Yes. It would be a Jasper and Bella story, but not a romantic one.

The premise would be that Jasper left the Cullens after the mess of her birthday

party…questioning his worth. They meet unexpectedly and Jasper is remarkably cruel to her.

My premise on Jasper would be the internal struggle of the man he is…his history…and his

continued blood lust. How he does not feel he is “good enough” of the life the Cullens live or

his mate Alice.

Bella’s life has taken a very dark twist…in that when she was left in the woods she fell into

the hands of some unsavory characters who abuse her, leaving her with many scars both

emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

I know a ton of stories have played with the idea…but I don’t want to cross the lines sexually

with them – like most. I want to play with their emotions and history to show a healing. It

would not mean though that all is roses in the end, and truly I don’t even know at this point that

I would bring the Cullens back. If I did…it may be too late. I see Jasper healing with Bella’s

interference, but Bella will have many secrets that Jasper never figures out.

I want to play on the emotions and psychological struggle between them.

It is really just a brief outline right now. I have to finish up the two Unloved Unwanted stories,

and Full Moon Rising (my sequel to Harvest Moon) before I even begin to think about starting

another story.

Again, we'd like to thank content1 for taking a risk on us crazy girls and jumping right in with us. You'll see more of her to come in a few weeks, and we excited to see what dark mischief she can come up with. We know it'll be great!

Interview with DT pick winner @HammerHips

I caught up with the DT blog pick author, HammerHips and talked a little bit about her love for dark and her amazing fic Erzsébet. 

Erzsébet

by 

HammerHips

Izzy:

Why did you decide to write for this contest?

HammerHips:

Well, I didn't actually write for the contest. I wrote the two pieces I did because I wanted to write them. I started DID before the contest even began, and it just fit. Then, I told my BBBF, givemesomevamp, that I had an idea for a supplemental piece for Decay and outlined it for her and she asked me to write it because she said it would be awesome. I can't resist her charm, so I did. It was just a fluke that y'all had the contest and Erzsébet seemed to fit in.

Izzy:

What inspired your fic?

HammerHips: 

 Well, Decay inspired it, to be honest.  It gives a little hint as to who you can expect to show up to help the Cullens with Bella.  Also, I love my history and I wanted to push myself to try and integrate history with the Twilight universe.  It was fun bringing Elizabeth Bathory, Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), and Stefan Musat into the story.  Plus, I liked giving Carlisle a creator!

Izzy:

What's your fav pairing?  On the flipside, which character(s) do you lurrrve taking to the Darkside?

HammerHips: 

My favorite pairing will always be Jasper/Bella I think.  I've been hooked ever since I read Colliding Meteors by IdreamofEddy and Insecurities by JamesRamsey.  After those two, I devoured all of the J/B pairings I could get my hands on.  

I love taking ALL of them to the dark side.  I've done a dark Alice in UYS, Darkisle in DID, Dark Bella in Decay, but my favorite so far is Alistair.  Creating his tragic past and a romance with someone he truly loved..even though she was a barbaric and cruel women, was amazing.  He'll always hold a special place in my dark little heart now.

Izzy:

What Dark fic pwns your ass?

HammerHips: 

Love My Hate by JaspersIzzy.  Abso-fucking-lutely.  This fic owns me so hard that I can't even explain to you how much I'm in love with it.  I've been thinking about printing it out and making an origami peen out of it just so I can hump it properly. 

(inserts blush, thank you sweets)

Izzy:

 Are you planning to write more dark, and if so can we get a hint of the plot? Heh.

HammerHips: 

Well, I still have Decay to finish up.  I will probably add a few chapters to DID eventually, so look for that, and yes, I'm working on a dark collab with one of my favorite peeps in the fandom.  An AMAZING author by the name of JaspersIzzy.  You want to know the plot?  One word: Zombiesper. *laughs*

 (Izzy: It's going to be awesome!)

And there you have it, folks. Congratulations again on your win Mrs. Hips. You truly deserved it for such an amazing story. Bravo!

Interview with JNG Judges Pick Kisbydog

Over the next three days we're featuring the blog picks and public voting pick authors from our Nightmare Before Christmas Contest. I think many of us can appreciate just how hard it is to enter a contest. Not only are you writing within the confines of a very specific topic, but you're also putting yourself out there for public voting and judge's choices. So, I wanted to extend a huge THANK YOU to all of the authors who continue to inspire us with their creativity and talent.

Today we start with the JNG Judge's Pick.

Leave A Light On by Kisbydog

Why did you decide to write for this contest?

I've just started writing again after a long, long hiatus, and I've been entering contests like crazy, trying to find my voice. When I saw the scary looking Santa on the contest's banner, I was intrigued. I am incapable of writing fluff. Most everything I write begins to turn a little dark, no matter how hard I try, so I thought I'd stop fighting it and let it out. And what a better time than Christmas, the time of year that pisses me off more than any other? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for love and family - I just can't stand all the bloody commercialism and pressure. So, I figured I'd bring back the long lost Goddess of Vampires and set her loose in a mall on boxing day (that's a very minor part of my story, btw).

What inspired your fic?

This fic began percolating in my brain a couple of months ago when I started reading 'Spontaneous Combustion', by Gemmalisax. That is one seriously hot story - vampire firefighters? That is the epitome of hotness, right there. I wanted to write some multiple vamp lovin' for Bella, where they totally worshipped her (although, my vamps were naughty while I was writing them, and they refused to worship her while she was still a weak human. Brats. But they did show her a very good time!) Then, while I was outlining 'Leave a Light On', I was also reading the entries in the 'Dommella's Dungeon' contest, and the Bella that I was writing morphed into a vampire goddess, worshipped by all.

 What's your fav pairing? On the flipside, which character(s) do you lurrrve taking to the Darkside?

I'm Edward/Bella all the way. My fave characters to darken are Edward, Bella and Jasper. Yum.

 What Dark fic owns your ass?

Oh god. So many. Right now, I'm totally flipping out over 'This Buried Life' by Emmanuelle Nathan, The Monster and I by beautifulyes, Grasping Darkness by KiyaRaven, Last Rites by halojones, and I just started reading a new fic by luvrofink and MarchHare5 called 'My Greatest Masterpiece'. It's only 1 chapter in, but it's already juicy!

Are you planning to write more dark, and if so can we get a hint of the plot? Heh.

I have a few plot-gouls slithering around in my brain, but I'd hate to give too much away (I'm still plotting, and my characters are slippery little buggers). Just know that I loooove dark, dominant vampward, and E/B/J threeways. But who doesn't? Also, I've had some requests to continue 'Leave a Light On', so that may happen in the next few months.

Dark Delectables With Edward's Chipper

Helllloooo, my twisted sistahs who share the same pervy proclivities as me. Do I EVAH have a treat for you. This week, I give you my first-ever special segment and as you can tell by the title *points up*, I’m spotlighting YOUR favorite moments in YOUR favorite Dark fics. But an even bigger treat, for those of you who fangirl over her work, like me *pause for squeeee* not only was I able to uncover, unearth, and yes, even disinter one of my favorite dark authors for this segment, but I also somehow, someway convinced her to join the insanity and participate! I would be speaking of a Queen of the Dark, Mistress of Mayhem, Temptress of the Tawdry, our own Raggdoll of Twilight!

WooFuckingHooo!

This will be a regular monthly segment here on Darkest Temptations, and I am humbled and honored to have her as the first author to join us.

Now the gist (I said gist) of the segment is to have you, our blogfans, tell us your favorite moment in any of her fics, but since this is the first-ever segment, I had to do a little research. I also couldn’t waste the opportunity to dig for a leeeeetle bit more info on what else is going on in such a deliciously dark and twisted mind. So first, I sent four initial questions straight to Raggdolly. But then I asked three of her biggest fans and most eloquent review whores, to pick their favorite moment from one her fics, and asked Raggdolly to answer this centuries-old question:

Where in the name of sparkly peen
did you come up with this scene?

Since I think this will be the longest post in blog history, let’s get right to the, uh, meat of it then, shall we? Lisamichelle17, ohmyitsv, and GothicTemptress were so wooed by my captivating (read “begging”) email, they agreed to share their favs:

lisamichelle17 picked Ch. 8: The Temperament of Wild Animals - House of the Horde

In that moment of his blunt dismissal he cut the last string of calmness that I had been grasping onto. It was a stupid idea, I knew it but I couldn't help it. I was unsure of the outcome but I was driven by my impulse to act. I felt careless, exhausted, and angry as I made for the metal pitcher on the table that once held the blood he drank. I reached for the handle and readied to tilt the liquid into my glass, but firm, cold fingers clenched around my wrist.

He squeezed.

Hard.

“In this scene, Edward, is fighting with Bella. Bluntly said, he is torturing her. We don't know about this Edward. Truly, we don't. He adds a lot of mystery. He is strong. He cannot stand that he can read Bella's mind. This is my favorite moment for many reasons:

1) Edward has always been able to read peoples minds. In the first time in his life he cannot read Bella at all.

2) Edward has never wanted Bella's blood than anyone in his life. Imagine how hard it is for him to resist her blood.

3) Edward has never loved someone. Never.”

Raggdolly’s Response:

I was not expecting that to be someone’s favvy scene. How crazy. Haha.

Motivation for that scene was wanting to showing Edward’s and Bella’s persistence. She wanted more water, he said no, she went for it anyway, and he “corrected it”. I think it was the only way to keep these specific characteristics intact for these two. They’re both strong-willed and are very much opposing forces that will collide later on in the story. This scene is only the start of more to come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ohmyitsv picked Chapter 5: A Human Counterpart – Lions Eat Lambs

Edward released his grip on her, causing her to fall to the ground harshly. She clutched at her neck, coughed, and gasped for air.

"What is it that you're proposing?" he asked.

Through her tears and shrunken windpipe she spoke groggily. "I'll never be able to out run you, but it doesn't help that I had high heels when you sent me out here."

…I can barely walk in them in the first place…

"Why do you want to prolong the inevitable?"

"You're scared," Bella coughed.

Edward ground his teeth together. How dare this insignificant being say that he is scared. What would he be frightened of?

"You're making a big mistake," he said. "Do you think it wise to play with a vampire?"

"No," Bella straightened up, "but it's funny as hell."

He considered her offer for a moment and searched her thoughts, but found nothing. The only lingering notion was that of a fair fight and delaying death. She wanted time.

"I will agree to your proposal. I'm feeling full for the night, anyhow. You require shoes?"

My shoes…

"And water," Bella added. Her eyes trailed to the body of Angela but she looked away quickly.

"Then you shall have it." Edward approached her again, backing her into the same tree. "But I want you to know, that when I find you tomorrow night, you will bleed slowly. I have a special room for those that want to delay their death, and it will know you," he hissed. "I will bathe in your blood and spit on your ashes."

He spat his venom-rich saliva in her face. She wiped the poison away quickly, knowing that the burn on her skin was unnatural.

"I do love a good fight, and you'll make things interesting, won't you? Tomorrow," he whispered. "I will enjoy finding you tomorrow."

“Reading this part, I had a 'what the fuck' kind of moment. I didn't expect this from Bella, much less Edward accepting these terms. Raggdolly really turns the tables here on us. I was at the edge of my seating, thinking, "Oh god, what did she just do?! She's dealing with a fucking vampire, for fuck's sake!" Bella stands up to Edward, saying, "Are you afraid that you're going to lose if you play fair?" a stupid and reckless move, and instantly became my hero in that moment. I love strong Bellas, and this is one of them. Cause, really, who in their right mind would challenge a vampire? Certainly not me!

It's in this moment that Bella decides that playing Edward's game may be her only survival. This is when the game truly became human versus vampire.

This very moment is the one of the essences of Horror. You don't know what's going to happen to you; if you're going to die in some horrific way or not, when you absolutely want to live. Bella doesn't know if she's going to live or die. It's easily depicted in movies, not so much in writing, but Raggdolly did a fantastic job, bring this nightmarish story to live with her amazing explicit descriptions and awesomely grotesque storytelling.”

Raggdolly’s Response:

I’ll be the first one to admit that Bella makes a lot of dumb decisions in this story. I mean a lot! It’s like she’s missing the “gut instinct” that every woman is born with. There are some times that I wanted to smack her, and I don’t think I’m the only one. But the one thing she did right was challenge Edward in his own game. While most of what she has done so far has shown her flaws and her weaknesses, I wanted to also show her strengths; the ability to survive and think quickly. That’s what motivated this scene.

Mocking him wasn’t the greatest thing to do, but sometimes it’s how people drown out the seriousness of a situation, it’s how they survive. If it wasn’t for her wanting to extend the hunt then the story would have ended with Bella here.

I’m glad she said that it’s when the hunt truly became human versus vampire because that’s the absolute truth. Sometimes the vampire doesn’t always win the fight… or does he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GothicTemptress picked: The End of Lions Eat Lambs *Spoiler Alert*

"And what about him?" Jasper said as his eyes fell on the shaking man on the couch.

"Oh, him?" The man knew he was talking about. "You don't need to worry about him." He dropped his hands from the curtains and turned to Jasper.

His right-eye seemed to glow in the surrounding darkness, taking in the little light that was available and firing it back into the void. His other eye was shut off to the world by a patch that strapped around his head.

Somewhere in the room, a ticking clock counted the seconds that passed between the two men.

There was something unusual about this man, a strange vibe that he emitted, telling Jasper that he was in danger.

"You are in no danger," the man said, as if confirming. "I do not wish to kill you. In fact, it would be counter-productive since you have information that I need."

“Lion Eats Lamb is one of my favorite Dark Fics. It's a story that still haunts me months after reading it. My favorite part is the end. The end scared me the most, knowing that he saw her location in Jasper's mind, and then the rest is left up to us to worry over.”

Raggdolly’s Response:

Omg, spoilers! *covers everyone’s eyes*

I’m just kiddin’.

Lions Eat Lambs was my favorite story to write thus far, and the end was especially fun.

What motivated this scene was nothing more than the want/need to find the perfect voice between the characters. Before I even started writing the story, I thought about the end so much, wondering what would be the best non-resolution for them. The dialogue changed constantly, and finally after a period of time it came out. I don’t think it ended how people expected it to, and that’s good. It was always my intention to leave it open to the reader to decide what happens. I know what I would want to happen, and had every intention of writing an epilogue to bring some closure to the story, but it wouldn’t end there. I don’t think there is an end for these characters that would satisfy anyone. So it is what it is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Muwahaha!

But I couldn’t let Raggdolly go without digging into her skull just a little further, for my own twisted purposes yes, but always with the fans of DT in mind. So I gave her just a few other questions to answer:

Where do you get the ideas for your fics? Out of the blue? Family members? Nightmares? Alcohol?

Gah, I wish I could say alcohol; it’d give me an excuse for those bottles of wine… anyways! Lions Eat Lambs came out of the blue. It’s inspired by The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, but writing it and wanting to put a version into fan-fiction was a very random thought. The idea for House of the Horde came to me while I was cleaning the kitchen and listening to Rob Zombie’s Living Dead Girl and it started much darker than what it is now. But I’ve had other stuff come to me while I’m sitting outside waiting to pick up my kids from the bus. So, anything really.

What do you love most about writing Dark? i.e. the ability to manipulate characters, going to the darkside in general, etc.

It’s not just dark fic, but the horror of real-life that fascinates me. Serial killers, phobias, psychological disorders; things like this aren’t touched on quite as much as first love or a first kiss is in fan-fic, especially in this fandom. I love writing horror because I can incorporate elements into it that I wouldn’t be able to with a romantic-comedy. I mean, I love being scared, I think we all do. Feeling my heart race and my hair stand up on end makes me feel alive. Dark fic allows me the chance to elicit those emotions from other people, and it’s nice to share my love of the paranormal. I understand that I write for a very small part of the Twilight community but I love it.

What one character thrills you to your bones to take to the darkside?

Definitely Edward. I like pushing Bella over the edge every once in a while too, and when I finish House of the Horde and start posting it again we’ll get to see some of that.

Would you like to share anything new that you’re working on/going to post?

Well, there really isn’t anything to share because I’m on hiatus right now. I haven’t had much time to sit down and actually write without interruption, but I am working on my contribution for the Fandom Gives Back. I teamed up with Nitareality and Luna Starfire and we offered three re-told Grimm tales at the bidder’s choosing.

I have the honor of re-telling Hansel and Gretel and I’m really, really excited about sending it to Shamatt and Javamomma (the winners of the auction) so they can read it, and eventually everybody else too. I also really wanted to work on a short multi-chapter story for Halloween that involves real life events. No vampires, no werewolves… true things that go bump in the night. I don’t know if that will be done by Halloween though, as I still have a lot on my plate right now but we’ll see. I don’t even have a name for it yet. I can say that Edward and Bella are newlyweds and they move into their dream house, at least they think it’s their dream house until items start disappearing, glasses shatter, doors slam without anyone near them, and they suddenly realize that they aren’t the only inhabitants. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to finish this.

Ooooooh. Ok, would it help if we got down on our collective DT knees and begged? Maybe? Who’s with me? *looks around*

Err…we’ll work on that later.

But now that everyone’s head is about to explode, or you’re blinded from reading the screen for so long, we’ll wrap up this inaugural segment of Dark Delectables That Made You Say Daaaamn. Thanks to Raggdoll of Twilight, and our review whores lisamichelle17, GothicTemptress, and ohmyitsv for their scintillating scene suggestions!

Oh, and Raggdolly wanted to say: Thank you so much for the favorite scenes! I enjoyed all the takes on them!

If any of you pervs would like to offer up your favorite dark author, and the moment from their fic that made you say, “Where in the name of sparkly peen did you come up with that scene?” hit me with an email at foreveredwards7@gmail.com. Cuz if I have to go all stalkergirl on your asses, it ain’t gonna be pretty. ;)

‘Til next time, may your Darkest Temptations be served…

Izzy Interviews @_SweetT_ for Darkisle Month

Hello my lovelies. 

Today we are meeting up with SweetT129, author of many Carlisle fics, including some dark dominant Carlisle. Yum--meeeee!!!

Izzy: 

So what is it about the dark side that appeals to you?

SweetT129:

 The idea of the characters being less fluffy and more deep is really interesting to me. I like the idea of them having another side, and it makes for a more unexpected plot, I think.

Izzy: 

What is it about Dark Carlisle that makes you swoon?

SweetT129:

 *laughs* Everything about Carlisle makes me swoon. He's always so perfect, and when I read him a bit tortured or dominating (oh my god, hotness!), it's like... "Wow. Where did HE come from??" I just love the idea of him having that side as well as the perfect exterior.

(note from Izzy, I have to agree there is something hot about perfect father figure Carlisle going all dark and dominant, but everything about Carlisle is hot)

Izzy:

What inspired you to write Fstop? With Carlisle's dominating hotness? (swoons and faints just thinking about it)

SweetT129:

 OK, the inspiration for FStop came from mostly TwiCarol's request that I write a dark Carlisle, lol. But the specific idea for the model/photographer was when I was flipping through channels and saw some stupid reality show. The photographer was posing the model, and something he said sounded dirty. You know, because I'm a big perv and all, lol. (nods, trufax)

So the idea just formed in my mind that maybe he was being dirty on purpose. Thus, FStop.

(Well thank you TwiCarol, stupid reality shows, and you being a perv,lol) 

Izzy:

What is your favorite Dark Carlisle or Dark story of all time? 

SweetT126:

I like Equal & Opposite a lot. It's E/J and really dark. Carlisle is a horrible man in it and I want to kill him the whole story. The sequel too, lol.

I want to thank SweetT129 for trying to take this interview half serious during our gchat fuckery. (snort) You rock my socks, Sis. 

SweetT129 and all her awesome Carlisle-centric stories can be found on FF.net. Just click her name over there and go check out her stories, including the hotness that is F-Stop that was rec'd by Cullen818 last week.