Sunday, January 31, 2010

Guest Fic Rec: Bratty Blood Lust




Brattyvamp's




The Author's Synopsis:

Following the battle against the newborn army, a human teenaged boy had stumbled upon Edward's eradication of Victoria, witnessing more than a human should ever know. Captured by the Volturi, the boy's fate is no less than grim. The sadistic Jane gives Edward an ultimatum: Kill the boy himself or lose his true love forever. Forced into the situation, he opts to end the boy's life, but in doing so, his desire for human blood is awakened and becomes nearly impossible to control.

Kalejay's story continues immediately after chapter 25 of Eclipse. Everything beyond that in the original Twilight series is being replaced by this intriguing and imaginative new twist.

I jumped into reading Bloodlust because I can't seem to resist a good, dark, vampy tale. I love the idea of actually exploring the struggle that Edward (or any Cullen) has in abstaining from human blood. All too often, it is a topic that is treated lightly or mentioned as an annoyance more than the difficult or painful inner-battle I imagine it to be. Kalejay took it to task, and jumped right into the action. In the very first chapter, Edward is forced to choose between killing a young boy, or losing Bella. Easy decision. But absolutely nothing is easy for him afterward.

"Jane cocked her head and looked at me expectantly. "Carry on, then," she said, motioning toward the boy with a small wave of her hand.

I stood horrified as she insinuated that I kill the boy myself.

It was a few moments before I found my voice. "Why are you doing this?" I asked, unsure why I was surprised at her sadistic decision.

A sardonic giggle escaped her. "Because it's fun," she replied. "I may have missed the fight earlier but I think this could make up for it."

Ethan's kneeling form began to shudder as every pair of undead eyes landed on him.

My inaction made Jane impatient. "Do it," Jane commanded, "or she dies."

The thought of any more harm coming to my love drove my following actions. With quick strides I made my way over to the boy and grasped the fabric of his jacket in my fist, lifting him to his feet. His weight hung completely in my hand, his fear making him incapable of holding himself up. Placing my other hand around his neck, I forced his head to the side to reveal the arch of his throat. He whimpered, realizing his certain doom.

I have no choice."


I have no choice. It says so much about this story. And after reading just the first chapter, I had no choice but to keep clicking that little next button and waiting for updates.

Now let me say... when I call this a "dark" vampy story-- I'm not talking about giving Edward a foul mouth or a nasty drug-habit. I mean 'dark' as in angsty. Reading it kinda feels like a rainy, grey day that settles around you and chills you to the bone. This isn't a light-hearted tale (though Kalejay does write very sweet moments between the characters that love each other and support one another so unconditionally.) The imagery she writes in describing Edward's inner-struggles makes the reader feel like they are right there beside him.

Crouched on the edge of a rocky gorge, I stared down at the river below, watching the gently falling rain disrupt its surface into a thousand ripples. I'd been perched there for more than an hour, motionless, with my expression twisted by anguish. I was feeling like some kind of damned gargoyle. My mind was restless and cluttered, and I prayed that by remaining still that my thoughts would follow suit, but they only managed to grow darker along with the fading light of day.

Despite my stillness, a sense of vertigo dizzied me. It was as if I were trapped at the center of a balance scale that swung continuously back and forth, like a teeter totter of what should weigh more heavily on my conscience. On one side there was the guilt of killing an innocent boy, and on the other was my unrelenting craving for blood. Human blood. My guilt over Ethan I could understand, but what bothered me about the craving was that I'd managed to resist the urge to feed on humans for decades, so why was this plaguing me so badly now? The drizzle became a downpour, streaking down the bars that trapped me in my prison.


The story focuses on the involvement of several key characters, and Kalejay switches POV to give her readers the insight to what they are each feeling and going through while Edward (with their help) is fighting his demons. My personal favorite (but hey--I'm a sucker for a good Jasper) is his empathetic brother who takes Edward's pain as his own.

The night air was crisp, and the full moon bathed the usually dark woods in a soft white gleam. It was a peaceful sight that I normally would have enjoyed, but in that moment I felt nothing but a disquieting apprehension. I sensed a shadow creeping up my spine.

I curled my lips back off my teeth and released a low, foreboding snarl.

"Get. Off." I warned through gnashed teeth, turning my head slightly to look behind myself. The forest behind me was dark and empty. I was alone save for the sleeping sparrows in the branches above me and the lone doe carcass I had left mangled by the creek.

I was alone... but something had still followed me from the house...

I could still feel remnants of Edward's craving and anxiety clinging to me, whispering cryptic insanity into my ear. When the uninvited guest failed to retreat, my snarl swelled into a frustrated scream as I struggled to fight the parasite from my mind.

Gripping onto a low branch of the nearest cedar, I swung myself into its wooded limbs. Climbing higher and higher, I pulled myself upward, attempting to escape physically from what should have been left behind with Edward. When I reached the top, I perched motionlessly, gripping the bark tightly in my fist. Staring into the spotlight of the full moon, I waited until the black shadow eventually seeped away, and dripped down every last branch I used to climb to my sanctuary.


I have plenty of stories on my alerts list that are like popcorn for me. I love them... and I gobble them up by the handful, as fast as they can be delivered. But this story isn't like a snack for me. It's more like one of the few that I'd put in the category of being a really rich dessert. It doesn't pop up as fast as those snacky stories do. The updates take a while longer. But each serving is rich and stays with me for a long time.

I adore the deep, descriptive style of this story. The details make me care for the characters and provide traction that makes me stop and really consider what they are going through. Sometimes, it's actually enjoyable to stop and feel the rain. It makes the sun all the more sweeter when the clouds finally depart.
Brattyvamp is the brilliant author, who has written everything from Abbracciare il Cantante (vamp-AU), Toye (horror), to The Best Man (angsty/tragic/funny/romance). She is currently writing My Escort.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Fandom News - 1/29





Deadline to Submit Entries to Birds and Bees Writing Challenge

Voting for I Get Off in Volterra Contest Ends

Voting for Write for the Other Team Contest Ends


Deadline to Submit Entries to An Edward to Remember Classic Hollywood O/S Contest

Deadline to Submit Entries to Devirginizing Edward

Winners for I Get Off in Volterra Contest Announced Today

Deadline to Submit Entries to The Eve Arden Awards

Voting for To Go Amongst Mad People Contest Ends

Winners for Twi25 Challenge: Round One Announced Today


Deadline to Submit Entries to Cullens Incarcerated Contest

FML Contest

Deadline to Submit Entries to Team SOB "The Rain Scene" Challenge

Deadline to Submit Entries to The Forgotten Femmes Anonymous Contest

Deadline to Submit Entries to TwilightTeamDILF Contest

The Indie TwiFic Awards List Announced Today


Voting for "Twi-High Anonymous Challenge" Ends

Voting for An Edward to Remember Classic Hollywood O/S Contest Begins

Voting for Birds and Bees Writing Challenge Begins

Start Submitting Entries for the No Bella Allowed Contest

Start Submitting Entries for the Show Us Your Dark Side Contest

Voting for Team SOB "The Rain Scene" Challenge Begins

Voting for The Forgotten Femmes Anonymous Contest Begins


Last Day for Lemon Nominations for the Golden Lemon Awards

Deadline to Submit Entries to To Kill a Cullen Contest

Voting for TwilightTeamDILF Contest Begins


Winners for "Twi-High Anonymous Challenge" Announced Today

Deadline to Submit Entries to Bring Out Your Cheesy Contest

Winners for The "Anything but Twilight" Vamp Smut Contest Announced Today


Voting for Bring Out Your Cheesy Contest Begins

Voting for Golden Lemon Awards Begins

Deadline to Submit Entries to Will You Marry Me Contest


Deadline to Submit Entries to "Love Bites" Anonymous Lovers Scorned Valentine's Contest

Voting for Birds and Bees Writing Challenge Ends

Voting for Cullens Incarcerated Contest Begins

Deadline to Submit Entries to The Littlest Peen Contest

Voting for To Kill a Cullen Contest Begins

Voting for Will You Marry Me Contest Begins

Ongoing Contests, Open for Submission:

Love Spelled Backwards is VD - 2/7/2010, P.I.C's Two's Company, Three's a Party Polyamorous Contest - 2/7/2010, With a Burning Heart Contest - 2/7/2010, The Love Spelled Backwards is Love Challenge - 2/8/2010, Doctor, Doctor! Contest - 2/10/2010, 'Beyond Imagination' Contest - 2/12/2010, "For My Valentine" Twilight Love Story Contest - 2/13/2010, "What's Love Got To Do With It?" Anti-Valentine's Day Contest - 2/14/2010, The Anti-Valentines One-Shot Contest - 2/14/2010, FML Contest - 2/15/2010, Oops! Your Cliche is Showing! Contest - 2/15/2010, Twific Auto Erotica Challenge - 2/15/2010, The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Cullen Contest - 2/17/2010, The "I love/Hate Nessie" Valentine's Day Contest - 2/27/2010, Greasers and Dolls Contest - 2/28/2010, Hidden Mask Challenge - 2/28/2010, TwiSlash One-shot Contest - 2/28/2010, http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2217466/ - 3/1/2010, No Bella Allowed Contest - 3/1/2010, Show Us Your Dark Side Contest - 3/1/2010, The Simple Slash Contest - 3/1/2010, The Green Feeling Anon Contest - 3/8/2010

Open for Voting or Nominations:


Nominations for the Silent Tear Awards end 2/19


Deadline to sign up for to volunteer or for Fictionista Workshop's WitFit Challenge is January 31!

Twific Gift Exchange - Gifts are Delivered throughout the week ~ Check 'em Out!

Kassiah loves being a Fictionator and wrote a Cajunward for the TwiFans for Haiti compilation. She wants to remind you to send in your receipt by Monday so you can read all the awesome stories.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

CharacterExploration: Men of the Volturi by LoreliD

The Men of the Volturi

By:
LoreliD

If Twilight took place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I am absolutely convinced that the Volturi would have joined up with that Emperor guy. Jane and Alec would be locked in an epic, twisted battle with Darth Vader over who could Jedi mind-fuck the other with more finesse. Aro and the Emperor would sit companionably, sipping on the blood of a virgin and chamomile tea respectively, while they discussed the endless advantages of a Volturi Guard turned Sith. Place a light saber in the hands of Felix and Demetri and the Rebellion wouldn’t have a hope, because let’s face it, evil usually wins. Evil is sexy. And good…well…good is dumb.

No, no, I jest. We know that’s not true, but power laced with evil is kinda hot. Deep down we can’t deny the allure of a man who can command others, his bidding readily and happily executed without question…ever. Who can resist a man who can solve problems and make it look effortless? A man who knows he has talents and, much more importantly, knows how to use them. Think Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Captain Rhett Butler, and even the devoted and protective Edward Cullen. Or consider the darker, more sinister variation, like Bronte’s Heathcliff. Perhaps a stalkerish and domineering Edward Cullen might be more to your liking. Regardless, they had a goal, either to protect the one they loved, or to turn that love into a possession. That’s the thing with powerful men - they go after what they want, and you just hope you are the lucky object of their desire.

The men of the Volturi are such men…vampires…whatever. With their immense wealth and a reputation carefully crafted and protected over three millennia, they have the means and power to achieve just about anything. The only thing they haven’t been able to acquire it seems, is a devoted fanfic audience. Here’s hoping we can change that. To do so, we need to see who they are in the series, and Stephenie didn’t give us a whole lot to work with in that regard. In my opinion, that is a blessing because it gives us authors a big, beautifully blank page to work with. Something we can really get our hands dirty molding and shaping as we create a history for these dark and seductively powerful characters.


The Nighttime Patrons of the Arts - What's With the Robes Anyway?

original art credits: “The Volturi”

From their castle in Volterra, the Volturi Ancients quietly rule (I imagine they would prefer the word govern) the Vampire world unchallenged, secure in the knowledge that the laws, and their reputation of enforcing them, are enough to keep them in power. Edward calls them the Ancients, and the nickname alone inspires a vast swirl of historical pageantry to sweep through my mind like a Texas twister. Three thousand years of human history the Ancients have been witness to, and undoubtedly played some part in. Seriously people, the plot possibilities here are endless. The Ancients have seen the fall of Rome, the glory that was Ancient Egypt, the Crusades, the onslaught of the Black Death and the discovery of the New World, each with a different set of eyes and a unique perspective, which makes endless fic fodder for those willing to take them on.

Aro
When we are introduced to the Volturi inner-circle-of-not-so-much-trust in New Moon, Aro clearly stands out as the overly enthusiastic and utterly manipulative Don Volturi. He conducts those around him as a Maestro would his orchestra, and enjoys himself thoroughly as he has them play whatever dark little symphony he has already composed for them. Officially, he is the spokesperson for the Volturi council, but it is soon apparent that his role goes much further. His gift makes him perfectly suited to be the intermediary between the loyal and the disloyal alike.

Under the pretense of upholding the law, he ascertains the truth, as only he can, then pretends to confer with Marcus and Caius as to what shall be done. It seems apparent that he asks their opinion only out of convention and courtesy rather than any real regard for their opinion. After all, Aro would have already decided the fate of the poor, groveling soul upon touching him, which is exactly what makes his gift downright frightening. One errant subconscious thought and you are convicted and sentenced before you can say “welcome, tourists.” His gift guarantees obedience as lying to him is impossible, unless you happen to be that one incredibly confounding brunette girl. He is revered by many (Jane), and loathed by some (Caius), but feared by all, otherwise he’ll sic his little pet on you, and she will happily and eagerly acquiesce to make you suffer.

Oh and he’s mated. Forgot about that, huh? That’s because we hear virtually nothing about his wife, Sulpicia throughout the series (another hint, gentle readers/writers.) He’s also a great strategist, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he learned the art of war from Julius Cesar himself. He is always looking for an opportunity to strengthen the Volturi coven whilst gaining resources. He is described by Bella as a collector, a collector of gifted vamps and apparently …jewelry? Trinkets to woo his subjects into submissive loyalty, I suppose. He also knows every corner of the mind, all its hidden secrets and its most fervent wishes. He could fulfill your heart’s every desire without you ever having to ask. That almost cancels out the onion skin in my book. In short, Aro is the man with the plan, and a horridly out of control God complex.

Caius
Caius would be Count Dooku in my Twi-Wars universe. Grumpy and eternally annoyed by Aro’s never-ending simpering, it seems he is eager for provocation, and equally eager to dole out his version of justice. Perhaps he’s bitter that he is eternally Aro’s sidekick and resentful he has no special gift to usurp him with.

Of the three Ancients, he is the least developed in the series and the most difficult to understand. Oh, and he’s mated too, to Athenodora.

Athenowho?
Exactly.

Marcus
We know that Marcus's gift is for seeing the strength of the relationships of those around him, but did you know that Aro's desire to keep Marcus and his gift close to him resulted in a drama fest that could rival Day of Our Lives?

It all happened many, many centuries ago. Back in the day, Marcus was happily mated to Aro’s lovely sister, Didyme. She radiated so much happiness that she drew people to her; this was her vampiric gift. Like so many others, Marcus fell in love with her and she returned his affections. They loved each other so much that as time passed they didn’t care about Aro’s silly evil plans anymore. They resolved that they would be his instruments of evil no longer and began to plot their escape. I like to imagine them happily frolicking though a Tuscan field dotted with red Papavero poppies, sparkling brilliantly and flipping Aro the bird.

But what did the ever ambitious Aro do when he realized he might be losing Marcus to true love? He offed his own sister, who had the less powerful gift of the two, and kept Marcus and his gift for himself. Obviously.

Marcus never found out that Aro was the killer. His zombie-like indifference to everything is a result of his eternal grieving for his beloved, Didyme. He remains with the Volturi mostly due to Chelsea’s influence, and goes through the motions of an endless eternity with apathetic impatience.

Alec
The other half of the gifted witch twins, Alec and Jane are obviously close. He welcomes her lovingly upon her return in NM when she brings Edward, Alice and Bella for their audience with the Ancients. He comforts her with reassuring protectiveness in BD when Bella’s shield renders Jane’s burning gift useless. His gift is more frightening than Jane’s in many ways, depriving his victim of all their senses, sight, sound, scent, everything. Really effing scary if you’re in a fight with the guy. He is one of Aro’s most prized possessions and aside from the fact that he was saved from burning at the stake with Jane, his history is a huge blank page just begging to be written.

Demetri
To be an excellent tracker, you would have to be cold, calculating, merciless and relentless, hunting your target as an assassin would. Demetri is feared by Edward and Alice even more than Alec or Jane. At least they represent a relatively quick death. Demetri’s gift promises the accused an eternity of running in a world that is only so big with hiding places that are quickly exhausted. Demetri would find you should you ever get away… you naughty girl, you. His complete disregard for humans is frighteningly apparent when he requests that Heidi "save a few" for him, few of course being tourists. Poor souls who would be the last die, after witnessing the manner of their end and seeing Demetri coming for them. *Shudders with creepiness*

Felix
It seems natural to me that if you were the biggest badass vamp in the biggest badass vamp army in the world, you’d be one cocky son of a bitch. Meet Felix, the undisputed goon of the Volturi guard. His flirtatious banter with Bella is endearing in a creepy way, and I have the distinct feeling that if Emmett ever turned to the Dark Side, he and Felix would be the vampire equivalent of the Weasley twins. Felix could toss you around the bedroom and make you his bitch like no other, before making a snack out of you. And why is that hot again? I'm not exactly sure and I don't exactly care, it just is.


Finding Darkness in the Light:
The Voluturi Men in FanFic

Finding good Volturi fics is, I imagine, akin to combing the world for your singer. In preparation for this piece, I spent an evening (well, several actually) searching the one hundred and twenty five thousand Twilight stories on fanfiction.net by character. A search for Aro yielded 15 pages of summaries for what turned out to be mostly drabbles. Searches for Alec, Demetri and Felix yielded similar results. Very few cast any the Volturi men as a main character, as most have some connection to Edward and Bella. If they are cast as the focus, they are paired with introduced characters or are used as pawns for PWP. Needless to say the pickings were slim, very slim. Finding fics to rec was nothing short of excruciating. I want to say here and now that its not only possible that I may have overlooked some amazing stories, but it's probable. The reason being as I said, it really was like the proverbial evil needle in the haystack. So please PM me on ffn and I will add your awesome recs to the Volturi Fic community I created.

I'd like ot begin with a story that explores the idea I mentioned earlier. In her little gem of a one shot called An Unnatural Life, Starshinedown touches on the historical vastness that Aro has witnessed. With an amazing eloquence and an obvious knowledge of antiquity and Greek mythology, she transports us to another time, eons ago.

He (Aro) spent the better part of the century traveling across the Egyptian kingdom and the Phoenician ports and cities along the north African coast. To his great disappointment, the people on this side of the Mediterranean tasted much like the people he'd been hunting on the other side. What he did gain appreciation for, however, was the scale in which the Pharaohs thought: the size of the pyramids and monuments appealed to him. Why build small when you could tell all the world of your wealth and power?

Why indeed? It’s easy to imagine that seeing the evolution of history and human civilization would teach Aro and the Ancients how to avoid the collapse of their own empire over the millennia. Walk softly and carry a big stick, or in this case, an invincible blood lusting army of the undead.


HMonster4's The Power to Be had me crying within the first few paragraphs (for which I was promptly called a cream puff by the author, I'll have you know). I can't say too much without giving the completely engrossing plot away, but suffice to say it was heart wrenching. Her characterizations of the Volturi were very much in canon, and HMonster gave us a glimpse of Marcus's background, showing us a surprising sympathy we might never expect from him. Aro is politely manipulative and ever intent on acquisition, and I love her characterization of crotchety Caius banging his staff on the stone floor like an ill tempered old man. Fair warning, no real happy ending here (for which I clap enthusiastically).

letmesign crafted a deep and heart-rendering story with a unique premise that stood out from the rest. In Marble and Mahogany Bella is a vamp, and has spent the first 60 years of her life as little more than a slave to the Volturi, her gift treated as a possession on its own apart from Bella herself. We see her treated cruelly, abused repeatedly before finally freeing herself from the fear that keeps her shackled to her past and unable to move forward. The Volturi play a supporting role in this fic, but a very important one as Edward and the Cullens try to help Bella heal.

Stregoni Benefici by giselle_lx hasn't begun to post yet, but I'm so very anxiously awaiting its beginning. In Stregoni Benefici, giselle_lx will examine Carlisle's early life and obviously the Volturi had a great influence over him, and perhaps he over them. She hopes to begin posting in February but gave TLYDF a sneak peek with her summary:

Carlisle Cullen has always been different—a frustrating son to a distant father; an enigma to the rulers of his world. But when he faces the biggest decision of his immortal life, he’s forced to grapple with the moments that have shaped him most. When you've lived your whole life among killers, what kind of man do you choose to become?



What’s missing?

As I read the past character explorations, I noticed that many of our other favorite secondary characters seem to be suffering from a lack of development in fic. Although it makes me sad, it isn’t surprising in the least. We are all here because of our love for Edward and Bella, certainly not for the bad guys that show up briefly at the end of the last three novels.

The Volturi are sprinkled here and there throughout the one hundred and twenty five thousand Twilight fics on fanfiction.net, but to find them, you have to dig, and dig deep. For the most part, the Volturi are in the background with the stories focusing on some connection to Edward and or Bella. Jane and Aro get the majority of attention by authors, possibly because out of all the Volturi, they were the most developed in the series. Felix and Demetri seem to continually be fodder for pwp, and Alec gets hardly any love at all. I was determined to find out why this was the case, so I posted on Edwardville and asked the members what they thought about the Volturi.

Where's the love?

There are various reasons, but one seemed to stand out first and foremost.

regina__falangi told it like it is

With the Volturi comes a distinct lack of Edward, and people love reading about Edward.

'Nuff said. There's really no need to elaborate, is there? I didn't think so, so let's be moving on...

hexumhunnie311 shared this thought

I think it might be because the Volturi are essentially secondary characters, we don't get much of a back story for anyone, AND they are the bad guys... I just think that fact scares people away from having them be the focus of their stories.

They are certainly secondary, after all Stephenie Meyer had to keep the novels within a reasonable length, so that we could all carry our copies with us everywhere. They are bad guys, and, as much as it pains me to admit it, bad guys, no matter how hot they are never get as much love as good guys.


I think jennylynnfs sentiment below mirrors the feelings of many readers.

I admit that when I read Twilight ff, I'm of a singular mind. I have to have some kind of B/E stuff in it. I do like the Volturi. I am intrigued by them and think their story would be interesting, but if I had a choice, I probably wouldn't choose to read it because there's no Bella and Edward in it.

I can certainly understand this perspective. We like-a the romance-a, that is sorta the point of Twilight. I propose however, that there may come a time when readers may want to read something different. Something beyond Edward and Bella, but I'll get to that in a second.
fiorelina said:

They lack a romantic and sexual dynamic. They're too old, too young or actually, ugh, related.

This comment fascinated me, because I totally get that. The Ancients are old and onion skinned and filmy eyed and rather…eww. Yet, I see potential for that missing dynamic to be created in the hands of an experienced and seasoned author using the remaining, younger Volturi characters.

Anonymous EV'er said

I've never read a fic that the characters of the Volturi are the main one. It's a shame. I want to read a non-Edward and Bella story.

starshinedown elaborated on the idea of craving something new,

I've occasionally looked for
Volturi fics--when I first started reading Twi fanfic and got past the urge to read all about Edward and Bella all the time, I looked around, but at the time all I found were stories that weren’t so great. So I stopped looking.

See? The desire to read something beyond Bella and Edward really does exist in the fandom, they just want something to read. So please to be getting on that, m'kay? *bats eyelashes*

And in the genuine interest of being fair and balanced, nsyfials552 said -

I’ve never really been too interested in the Volturi...they’ve just never really grabbed my attention. Like in the books they didn’t have much screen time, so to speak, and I felt like they fulfilled their purpose well enough there. So I haven’t been curious about any further explorations of any of them in ff.

We all have our own particular tastes. And that is absolutely fine. Diversity is varh varh pretteh.
So is honesty, thank you all for sharing your thoughts and letting me use them so I had something more to talk about in the sparse Volturi piece.



Conclusion
I'd like to leave you with the following thought to ponder in the hope of swaying a few of you over to the Dark Side with me. The fact is we love bad boys. Even if you don't think you do, I'll bet you have at least one favorite fic where Domward, Possesiveward, Darkward, or drug-using Rockstarward has a starring role. Although Edward is a bad boy in the series, in the fandom we seem to love making him naughtier. He's not bad enough, and the various Badwards have a HUGE following. So I pose this challenge: why not take the readymade bad guys Stephenie gave us, give them a hint of good guy qualities and take them out for a spin? Perhaps, if we knew them better, if we understood where they came from and what kind of people they were before they turned all scary bad ass, we could identify with them. We could care about them. We could want them to toss us around the bedroom in true Domward fashion. So, bust out the quills ladies and gents, and do your worst. I triple dog dare you.


LoreliD is a diehard geek who fervently wishes that Apple would hurry up and invent the damn Holodeck already so she can live out her Edward fantasies. She has a bizarre and increasingly worrisome fixation with Jane; someone may need to help her soon. She is the author of Becoming Jane and Deceptive Little Flower. She also co-authored I'll Be Seeing You and its sequel, My Girl Friday with the amazing LightStarDusting.

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