Taboos and Delving into the Dark.

Dark can have many meanings to different people, and trust us, we could rage on forever about how dark doesn't have to mean rape, abuse and torture. However, we wanted to delve into and aspect of dark that most people won't:

TABOO'S.

There's a contest running at the moment all about the subject, so thought now was the perfect time.



BEYOND THE PALE CONTEST.

It's being run by the awesome yellowglue, who always likes to push the envelope when writing.


When asked the question “What’s taboo, to you?” – Answers tend to be pretty much the same, and easy to guess at, across the board.

To be expected: murder, rape, incest, pedophilia, bestiality, necrophilia, etc.

But that’s too black and white, too easy, too boring (yeah, I said it) for me.

For me, taboo exists in the grey, the difficult, and the definitely anti-boring. It’s the completely and utterly UNexpected. It’s the epitome of everything outside of carefully constructed comfort zones and social norms. It’s the things that when you read/see/hear them, you have an outloud response because what you’ve just read/seen/heard has fucking floored you. For better, or for worse.

There’s really not a simple or succinct answer, because depending on whom you ask, and when/where you are, that answer will change because what’s comfortable and acceptable from one time and place to another, changes. Just because we see threesomes, anal, dom/sub play, and bloodbloodblood, all across this fandom doesn’t mean those things aren’t still taboo in lots of places, for lots of people. It’s timing and placement that makes all the difference. And it’s scrupulousness and style that keeps decides the difference between taboo and just plain shocking, perfidious, and grotesque.

How many years ago would it have been not just taboo, but basically unacceptable for a woman to show her ankles? For a man and a woman to just sit on the same bed, side by side on television? Lucy and Ricky slept in separate ones, and CBS wouldn’t even allow the show to use the word “pregnant”, even though at one point she and her character were. Just decades later though, Will and Grace were allowed to talk open and honestly about the pros and cons to a threesome she’s having reservations about.

Because time and place is (almost) everything.

With the Beyond the Pale contest, I wanted authors not just to include taboo habits/happenings/hankerings in their stories, but to explore the different causes and/or effects of them as well. I feel like anyone can write a story where Carlisle is a racist psychokiller, or where Alice is a nymphomaniacal cutter – because stuff like this isn’t half as shocking or taboo as it used to be. It’s in our books/music/movies, as well as our headlines. What’s more interesting, and often more controversial is to look at WHY Carlisle is like that, or what happens to Alice’s relationships with her friends and family as her habits begin take their toll. Blood/sex/violence isn’t necessarily taboo – but exploring it, thinking too much about it, sometimes is.

What I think is one of the most interesting options, and am surprised (and wanting!) that no one has tackled yet, is a story not set in the here and now. Writing something that’s set in a more conservative era opens up so many interesting options. Sex isn’t taboo anymore, but sex between two secretaries in a 1930’s office is. Addiction of almost any kind is far from taboo at this point, but that wasn’t the case just 50-60 years ago. Adultery, while still somewhat taboo, doesn’t typically end in with the loss of a nose, testicles, or life, but depending on when and where you are, the consequences vary into what some might consider extreme.

Old Scandinavian laws would have permitted Edward to castrate Jacob and kill Bella, had she broken her vows once they were married. The code of Moses would have had the two trespassers stoned to death. And in ancient Greece, the guilty pair might have been dragged behind horses or starved. Punishments like these are what have become taboo to us now, but then and there it was the crime that was so profane, not the ramifications that followed.

There’s a lot of the “same-old, same-old”, not just in this fandom, but all around us. Imagination and a little bit of thoughtful pushing is what I appreciate most. Shocking just to shock is just as prosaic as something that’s not shocking at all. But a tactfully written twist, a meticulous maleficence is (I think) more rewarding to read as well as write, and what’s most memorable.

We're also asked two of the entrants to comment on WHY they would such a contest.

22Blue has entered Red.

What drew me to the contest??? Well, originally, I had an idea about Bella as a high-class call girl, and Edward as her, ahem, client, and went searching for a contest that it might go with. Literally, two days later, I saw a tweet about Beyond the Pale and checked out the picture prompts. The ninth picture was perfect – it’s the black and white photo showing part of the back of a nude woman and a man holding her wrists behind her back. That photo gave me all kinds of ideas, and to be totally honest, I really wanted to try something different. To answer the original question of what drew me to the contest – it was the challenge of not going past the very thin line of taboo. I think everyone has their own definition of what crosses that line and what doesn’t - there are certain ‘taboo’ subjects I won’t touch with a ten foot pole.

What I like best about this contest is there are SO many different directions an author could go by choosing one or more of the twenty pictures prompts given. There are specific limits, yes, but this contest really does let your imagination run wild. If I had written my one shot the way I’d originally intended, it would have come out entirely different. I’m much happier with the end result thanks to the challenge Beyond the Pale provided.


nitareality has entered This Woman's Work.

The moment I heard about the Beyond the Pale contest, I knew I wanted to write for it. I love to explore taboos, in my personal life, in what I read, and in what I write. To be given the green light to go ahead and push that envelope was very freeing, and my mind ran in a million different directions. I was writing before I saw the prompts. Then I saw the prompts and dropped everything.

I share Yellowglue’s love of pictures, and using them as inspiration for writing. What was picked for this contest was such a rainbow of temptations and taboos. Within days, I had drabbles for each picture, and it was just a matter of picking. Each picture is inspiring in it’s own right, but one picture in particular spoke to me. Being free to explore topics that are edgy but important to me, like mental illness, led to a cathartic writing experience and I’m so glad I took part. I’m pleased as punch that there isn’t an entry limit, because now that I’ve started I don’t want to stop!

I encourage you to take a look; get involved in this contest. Show us the deep depths of your depravity, your secrets.

The closing date isn't until 11th September, so why not give it a go?

Snap by Ruby Wednesday

Snap decisions have devastating consequences. Edward makes a different choice on Bella's first day of school and learns the hard way that two wrongs can never make a right. A two-part dark AU

Donna_rai says:


This is a two chapters fic and to start with I didn’t think I would like, I didn’t think two chapters was enough to tell a proper story, but after reading I was proven wrong!!
This is based on what would have happened if Edward’s bloodlust got the best of him on Bella’s first day at Forks High school.

“Bella Swan stood with her back pressed to the wall beside the door, a piece of paper clutched in her hand. Her eyes were even wider than usual as she took in my ferocious, inhuman glare.
The smell of her blood saturated every particle of air in the tiny, hot room. My throat burst into flames.
The monster glared back at me from the mirror of her eyes, a mask of evil.”

I am always intrigued by Authors that are willing to take there fic to a darker side, this is what I consider a more realistic approach at Edward's nature.
Raw, compelling, haunting and refreshingly different - there's something about the alternate nature of this one that sticks with me.
I wish I could be a little bit more coherent in my review, but I'm just overwhelmed and awed with this story. It was an experience in itself. Ruby Wednesday brought out the best and the worst in Edward and did his character complete justice.

“But I saw too much with my heightened senses and witnessed him sob with his head on the steering wheel until a bell rang and he drove away.
That parking spot became the location for a new tragedy and gave the good people of Forks a new loss to rubberneck at.”

Lambcullen says:

I’ll be honest and say I have no idea where to start with this one. I read it three times - one after the other, when I initially found it, not because it was difficult to understand, or because it confused me.
I read it three times because I adored it.
It starts on that very first day at Forks High; the day Edward scented Bella for the very first time.

“The monster raged in my head but I was willing myself not to reach out and grab her as she walked by. This human was surprising indeed, not that it would matter for too much longer.”

It’s Midnight Sun before it was ever leaked. It shows Edward’s thirst for what it really was, and the description have you salivating right along with him.

“Her blood was seeping through the fabric of her jeans. I had fantasized about it all afternoon. Now that it was flowing freely the scent was even more mouth-watering than I had imagined. It was like water to parched man, a drug to an addict, the finest brandy to an alcoholic. I no longer had a choice in the matter. I had to have it now.”

Ruby Wednesday had me hooked within the first five hundred words, and I was enthralled until the very last sentence. Donna is right when she says it’s raw, because after it’s over you’re left stunned. I’m not even going to into the ending, because I’d hate to ruin it.
I know two chapters is short, but there is really no need for more. It’s perfect as it is.

“I sank my teeth into her flesh.
The taste of her blood was even better than I envisaged. Better than I could have dreamed.
Filled my mouth and coated my throat as thick as honey
It was ambrosia from the gods.
An oasis in the desert.”

I found myself thinking of the end for hours afterward.
It stays with you...just like all good stories should. I think every single fan of Darkward should devour this, because it ticks every single box....and more.

Snap! on FF.net

Tangerine Dream by YellowGlue

AngryBadgerGirl says:

There are so many ‘taboo’ fanfiction stories out there, more than one can count. They range in premise from sexual slavery, BDSM, ‘Darkward’ vampire, to everything in between. To be perfectly honest, I don’t read a whole heck of a lot of them. Truth be told, I prefer stories that are relatively low on the angst scale, so that would preclude most, if not all, of these fics from my reading list.

I have a handful of exceptions to this rule, and one perfect example is Tangerine Dream by YellowGlue. If you want to judge this one-shot purely for its shock value, I will be bold enough to say that you’re grossly underestimating its worth as a quality piece of writing. There is so much more to it than that.

My first reason for considering it to be so good is that the writing is superb. Indulge me for a moment and look objectively at how the story is written, regardless of its content. (I’ll get back to that later.) There’s an amazing tone and ‘cadence’ to the narration, for one. Yellow’s words are almost poetic, rich with metaphor, simile, and imagery.
The eroticism just jumps off the page—it’s written with intensity and incredible emotion. There’s no ‘smut’ here, if that’s what you’re thinking. Calling it just ‘smut’ is an unfair dismissal of the profound passion and energy that flows throughout Edward’s mind during the entire story. Here’s an example:
I kiss her hot skin and I taste all that vanilla mandarin sweetness I remember from all those years. I lick her and lap her sweet-dream-creamsicle innocence onto my tongue. I tease her and feel her tense and writhe under me, hear her cry out in sugary joy, feel her cum for me. Once. Twice. Three times over.
Another device Yellow uses that I love is word repetition. Normally, writers are told to avoid it, but she uses it to add a sort of rhythm that’s almost like poetic meter. I did a search within the story for the word ‘all’ and it appears 150 times within its total 7.5K word-length. Edward describes Bella, over and over, using the same syntax and structure, but it’s not jarring and doesn’t distract the reader at all. In fact, it just pulls you into his head even further. Here are snippets of what I mean:
All consuming...all sweet and soft…all vanilla sugar and mandarin blossom…all dream-creamsicle sweetness…all innocence and lullabies and building blocks and bedtime stories... all milk and honey like promised paradise…all ripped jeans and clean laundry…all white cotton and her little toes all painted periwinkle blue and my self control was raging.
As you read the ‘all’ descriptions piece by piece, you see them gradually shift from describing her as a child and a representation of innocence, to ultimately, an object of desire and the complete catalyst that causes his lose of self-control.
This component of the story is the perfect segue to the ‘taboo’ aspect of the premise. Edward is practically driven insane from the conflict he feels. His bloodlust draws him to Bella when she was nothing more than a toddler. I’ll be bold enough to say right now that if Edward and Bella had met when she was that young in canon, he would have felt the same exact reaction to her blood. She is his singer, after all. Canon Edward would have surely felt as if he were every last bit of strength not to drain her, just as he did in the original saga when they first met.
But the notion of their meeting when she is much younger forces us to look more closely at the idea of bloodlust versus actual lust. At some point in canon, Edward’s bloodlust ebbs when his romantic feelings for Bella begin to emerge. But I don’t think SMeyer did an entirely thorough job of delving into the ‘why’ and ‘how’. She brought Edward and Bella together in a very idealized and romantic way, a la two star-crossed lovers like Romeo and Juliet, or Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Something just ‘pulls them’ together.
Tangerine Dream looks at that transition from hunger to love with a heck of a lot more detail. Edward spends years fighting the urge to drink from Bella, while at the same time, involving himself in her life in some subtle, peripheral way in order to watch and protect her. It’s the ultimate practice in tortured restraint. But I think the years of standing back and watching do a few things to him: namely, his willpower and resistance to harming her grows substantially.
Through that willpower, his instinct to protect her grows and he begins to realize that he could only care this much if he loved her. His protectiveness goes well beyond her physical wellbeing. He becomes upset and almost agitated when she’s emotionally hurt as well. Her feelings of inadequacy and loneliness genuinely affect him, and he wants to take that hurt away too.
In the end, they both profess their profound feelings for one another. Bella is not as innocent as Edward imagines her, not by any means. (Raise your hand if you think she left her mitten in his car on purpose.) She knew Edward was watching her and felt comfort from it.
So rather than looking at this strictly by the age difference, by when and how they met, and judging the story simply on those points merely misses the picture entirely. Yes, the taboo is there, but I think Yellow does an extraordinary job of using it as a vehicle to examine other elements from canon and weave them together in a way that’s beautifully written and extremely compelling.

EunHye says:


My review of Tangerine Dreams. I'm one of the many, right? So I'll keep it short. :)

Tangerine Dreams, a fliffity, fluffity citrusy one shot, sounds like a twisty, lemony Dr. Seuss rhyme. And in some parts, it is. The words are rythmic, even upbeat, but they didn't distract me from the topic, which is the unconventional relationship between a human and a really old (but supersexy) vampire. It started with the girl as an infant, progresses through the years, culminating into a sexual act that is agreed by mutual consent but not between adults.

Sex between an older man and a girl under the age of consent is always suspect, as society dictates that minors should not have sex with adults. I don't mind it in fics, as long as it's written with skill and restraint. Tangerine Dreams, luckily, exceeds in both. There is nothing amateurish or clumsy in the way Sarah writes. Her words are smooth, like Edward himself, and tight, like the way he feels. She draws you in and takes you for a rollercoaster ride of Edward's emotions as he dances around temptation, torturing himself, before he accepts, calmly, that the only way to end his suffering is to give in to his obsession. She takes you round the bend as Edward manipulates Bella by initiating close contact, giving her the attention and gentleness that she needs and the moment she reciprocates his affection, he succumbs to his wants. It's wrong, and yet, Sarah's words made me cheer for them.

But then, Tangerine is not only about the sex, although everything did seem to lead up to it. It's about Edward fighting his nature. He's a vampire, and he doesn't operate within the bounds of what is socially acceptable (like drinking blood or not dying can ever be socially acceptable) but he aspires to these conventions...up until he doesn't. Which makes him, ironically, very human.

An aside, age of consent in the Philippines (my country) is 12, as long as the other person is not more than 10 years his or her senior. Which goes to show that even established communities differ in the perception of what's taboo and what's not. If humans can't decide what is what among themselves, how much so for vampires?

Maylin says:


This week saw the beginning of the Beyond the Pale competition, which challenges writers to take a fresh look at taboo themes. It is no coincidence, therefore, that we have chosen to review Tangerine Dream this month.
This one-shot was originally an entrant in a contest which had as a requirement that any relationship should be illegal. Tangerine Dream has been removed from Fanfiction.net twice after some rather esoteric complaints and has received some very vitriolic flaming as well as effusive praise. It is now only available to read on the author’s blog.
For me the attraction of reading stories about taboo themes is not for the shock value or the titillation of something ‘naughty’ but from a genuine belief that there are few absolutes in morality (maybe none at all). Rather there are vast grey areas where given a particular set of circumstances nothing is intrinsically ‘bad’. I happen to know that grey is Yellowglue’s favorite color.
I want to read something so well written and thought provoking that it turns my assumptions and prejudices on their head. Tangerine Dream is one of those stories.
Ostensibly this is a story of Edward as a vampire posing as a 31 year old human. He first encounters Bella at the age of 2 years and is immediately obsessed with her. He watches as she grows up waiting for her to attain womanhood, until he can wait no longer. Although Bella’s age is never mentioned she is undoubtedly a minor.
This could be viewed as pedophilia. However age of consent is a fluid area even in law. It varies considerably in different cultures with the US probably having one of the highest (18 years in some States). Even then the Law is not necessarily protecting those that need to be protected or allowing freedom to those who are mature enough not to be exploited. Youth does not necessarily make one vulnerable, nor age a predator.
We do however have a duty to protect the vulnerable and in this story Bella is undoubtedly vulnerable. Not only because of her age but also through appalling parenting.
Is Edward a predator though? This question hangs there throughout the story and is what adds that edge of darkness that transforms this into something you really engage with rather than consume.
“Her crimson called out to me; a siren, it sang my name in her tiny baby voice, begged me, confessed she was mine all mine for the taking.”
In the beginning his focus is her blood. He desires her blood. Her age is immaterial – too young – too old it makes no difference; unlike a pedophile whose focus would be her youth and vulnerability.
Although his bloodlust gradually grows into so much more he is still determined to wait. Although he is not human he still feels constrained by societal taboos and needs to continually justify his behavior to himself.
“Waiting when you don’t know exactly what it is you’re waiting for, only that you must wait, is always impatient waiting.”
At is “It felt too odd, I felt too rotten in trying to justify that much. She’s a child, years later yes, but still just a baby, and I a grown man. If I was waiting, I decided I would wait as long as it took for her to grow into a woman; when I could at least be seen with her and not raise eyebrows.”
His resolve is stretched, though, as he hears her blood quite literally singing to him the more contact he has with her.
“My mind racing with all the hundreds of ways I knew I could get her alone and bleed her dry and calm all of the universe with just one drink.”
Ultimately it is she who makes the first move. She has a loveless, uncertain life and through their intermittent encounters through her life sees him as someone she can rely on and feel safe with. His feelings are overwhelmingly protective and at every stage he asks her permission. “Is this OK” becomes a mantra.

“I smiled, my whole self soaring again. “Yes. If that’s okay?” I asked, yet again and determined to always ask her permission; wanting so much to please her, to keep her safe.”
In the end though what captivated me immediately was the writing style. Elegant and original, the narrative is lent poetic intensity by the repetition of key phrases and the rhythm of the wording. Her use of adjectives is so sensual you feel you can almost taste the words. This evocative, almost nostalgic style imbues the story with an innocence that contrasts with the subject matter.
If you want to read something beautiful yet ambiguous and thought provoking, there is no better place to start than with this under-appreciated gem.

Tangerine Dream is available on YellowGlue's Blog.

Lovegame by Moneybeet

Summery:

Every night she goes about her business ignorant to the man who watches her from her window. She doesn't understand what is coming. She couldn't know the horrors he would subject her to in the name of fascination

Donnarai says:

"I have been waiting so long," he muttered near her wrist, "For so long, Bella."
"Waiting?" she wondered in a tone that betrayed how much he was effecting her.
"To make you what you always have been," he replied.
Edward tilted his head just enough for Bella to catch a glimpse of his expression.
Terror crept into her body, making it numb.
Words were caught in her throat as she tried to pull away from him.
"No, no, no, kitten," he taunted her. "If you try to escape, you will only make things worse for yourself."

Moneybeet is the author responsible for this fantastic story.
I found this Fic when I was in dire need of a pick me up from a lack of good Darkward!!
The writing is absolutely amazing; it grabs your attention right from the 1st chapter.
I am trying to figure out why this Edward fascinates me so much, he is very Dark, sinister, bloodthirsty and obsessed, the way he controls Bella like his own personal toy is very interesting, the details and descriptions that go into this is out of this world!
Bella is scared and confused when it comes to Edward, she has been dragged into a deadly game that she has no control over, she can’t go to her family or friends for fear that they will be killed so she has no choice but to play along.
Edward really seems to get off on torturing Bella, her blood and body is his whether she likes it or not and the more she tries to fight it the more twisted and dangerous he gets.
This is one story that I can quite happily read over and over again and never get bored!!
Moneybeet captures the essence of what a true Darkward fic should be like, she doesn’t hold back or shy away from scenes that are more violent and disturbed than others.
This story has the potential to get even darker and I am really looking forward to seeing what the author has up her sleeve when it comes to Edward and Bella.
Hope you all enjoy.....


"I want you to flee, little kitten," he hissed back. "I want to play and you will indulge me."
Bella felt her skin crawl in response to his words.
Rather suddenly, she was freed from his closeness.
She stood and tried to ignore the thick mud covering her jeans and arms. She found her knees still wavering slightly as he intensely stared her down. Bella didn't move.
At least she didn't start to leave until Edward crouched down into a predatory stance, his face twisted into that same devious smile. "Don't you have any self-preservation instincts at all?"
Bella stepped away from him, stumbling slightly over a tree root. Luckily enough she was able to catch herself before falling.
"Ah, there it is." He said calmly. "Run now, little Isabella."


O_oza says:

There’s one word that consistently comes to mind when I read Lovegame.

Nightmare.

Bella finds herself in a most unfortunate predicament the day she meets Edward. The scent of her blood and silent mind are enough to seal her fate as nothing more than his plaything. Edward is a master at controlling her, owning her, and he gets her to obey him by threatening the lives of others. Not that she really has a choice. He is playing a game, physically and mentally, and unlike other stories of similar nature, Bella is forced to go on with her everyday life pretending that everything is normal.

This story is written in 3rd person and moneybeet does a brilliant job of portraying the emotions of the characters. When Bella is afraid, I feel it in my gut. When Edward is tormenting her, I’m on the edge of my seat wanting more. Most of the time these emotions are happening simultaneously. She makes me want to cover my eyes and cheer at the same time.

Not only is Lovegame well written, but this Edward isn’t going soft anytime soon. At times he may come across as caring, but it’s quickly overshadowed by his underlying motives. I can’t wait to see what other twisted things he has up his sleeve!

"Still hurting, kitten?" he whispered in his velvet tenor.
She gave a slight nod, trying to ignore the little stabs of pain. If only she had remembered to bring the bottle of Tylenol sitting on the kitchen counter this morning…
"Good."

Lovegame by Moneybeet on FF