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Review Replies - On The Dark Side


stargazer67

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First off, thank you so much for the reviews! This was actually my first foray into a story like this, so to have such a positive reception to it is great.

Thanks especially Eclectic_Pet, you actually have had an influence on where the story is going (much later on, a lot of it is already written but have made some alteration from where I was with it when I published the first chapter. The backlog is just that it's all in first-draft stage, so publishing as I review/polish it a bit more).

Mrs_HH - yes, that kind of was a remnant of when the story was going to be much shorter, and I should have rewritten it to not be that abrupt. Or, I should say, it was a remnant of a point where she was going to accept sooner and it was going to be an unemotional M/s type of relationship; i.e. he was going to treat her basically like the rest, just more permanent. He's actually just intimidating her somewhat with the Unbreakable Vow - he can release her from it (bit off-canon, but the thought there is that he's making no pledges to her under it, just she to him, so he can still release her from it if he wishes because there's no 'vow' on his side to be broken. Much like there's none on Narcissa's side of the one he makes to her in the book/movie; it's binding on him but not really on Narcissa because she's made no promises to him in return that could be broken).

She's not going to accept that quickly, though. He's going to go for a bit of a ride first, and he's also going to find out more about what it's like to be on the servant side (after all, he also has a Master...) before he ever gains his own servant. Hermione does play into it later also, I just didn't feel like he'd really ever enjoy her except in a purely D/s way. He's also going to get a bit soft over the OC for awhile, but he'll return to his usual self in time; it'll just add dimension to him without replacing who he is/was.

Edited by stargazer67
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@wildkitsune - Thank you!! I was so hoping that chapter would come across as I intended it to, and from your response, it did. I also am not 'into' slash at all, but that came out of me quite spontaneously and just seemed to work on several levels for me.

It served a whole lot of story functions, which all became apparent to me only as I started writing it. One just to show the motivation of a servant, even to find pleasure in things they wouldn't normally find pleasure in - just because it is their Master who has asked it of them. Snape isn't bi nor is he going to become bi, he's just that devoted to his Master (I've always felt that Voldemort was completely bi, just because sex for him would generally be meaningless anyway, except as an exercise in power/mastery, which he'd feel regardless of gender). Another was to add a little dimension to both of them; up to this point, sex for both of them (Snape and Voldemort) has mainly been about power, or lust. Neither of them has ever 'shared' anything of themselves while having sex, it's never meant anything to them beyond the physical or domination aspect. That time, it did, even if only as an expression of devotion on Snape's side, and pleasure of having someone be that devoted on Voldemort's. Another was to give Voldemort's incorporation of Lavender's soul a tiny bit of influence. He's made it his own, but it has had a very subtle influence on him in being able to feel to just slightly more depth (without changing who he is at all).

@Eclectic_Pet - I'm also glad that Snape's discussion with Alyssa about M/s came across well emotionally. I know little to nothing myself about that, but given the challenge of the story itself, I wanted to show it in a positive way and not have it be just about the sex (when it is more than that, for both sides). If I stray too far off the mark with it, please don't hesitate to let me know, it is new territory for me. :)

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@Sera21 - there are of course varying degrees of 'dark'; my aim wasn't ever to go pure-evil dark. I don't think I could go pure-evil dark, my heart just wouldn't be in it. Funnily enough, I just wrote a 'Voldemort taking pleasure in death' bit yesterday (will be awhile before that chapter is published). But, past that point there really won't be any more like that, it's just not something I enjoy enough myself (not that I think there is anything wrong with anyone who does, don't get me wrong). Just getting through that one bit was pretty tough for me, and I had to redeem it a bit with Snape afterwards (doing something that was actually kind, but not out of kindness; it was calculated on his part).

LOL, also didn't realize I'd made Voldemort sound like a bodice-ripper protagonist; when I said muscular, I meant the way Ralph Fiennes' chest (what you see of it) is in the movies. He doesn't have a brawny chest, but it is defined; it's just not over-developed like a bodybuilder's. Not sure how else one describes that (suggestions welcome).

As for the insane part; I actually wanted his side to succeed in the end, and I couldn't really see how that could happen with a truly insane leader (Hitler notwithstanding - Voldemort seems very much based on him in many ways. Especially the dichotomy of wanting a pure race that he doesn't himself fit; Hitler not having blonde hair/blue eyes like his ideal Aryan race, Voldemort not being a pure-blood himself. But, Hitler's success wasn't permanent either - my aim in this one was to make it stick, and unless he just killed off all but his own followers while following the insane path, there would always be an uprising/resistance). Snape's aim is to convince him to go at it in a way that leaves the resistance not much to 'resist' in the end, which sounds like it won't be your cup of tea, really. (Trying to spare you any further disappointment, don't want you to keep reading hoping it will turn darker.)

I'll probably not write any more even loosely described as dark past this one, is not my thing and honestly I've been very surprised at the overall reception it has gotten up to now. Thank you for taking the time to review it and to review it honestly as well, there are still some things I can take from that into other stories later even if they're not in this vein.

Edited to add: Also, on him charming Lavender to get what he wanted - he has done that in the past. It's how he obtained the locket, goblet and diadem (locations of, anyway). I couldn't actually see him wanting to have his intended consort last rather than first; he was after all looking for more than just someone to have his child (one assumes Bellatrix could have given him that, and would have no matter how Rodolphus felt about it). He was looking for someone to corrupt, to have his child, to take their soul, and also to be first among his servants. It'd be hard to consider someone 'above' you that you'd raped repeatedly.

A lot of the motivations in this story are psychological like that, perhaps too subtle. For me, his 'charming' of Lavender was twisted, but I can see how it might not come across that way well enough.

Edited by stargazer67
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