Birthday!

It's herself_nyc's birthday! A lovely lady who I've only recently gotten to meet and to know, even though we've been babbling about Spike and Buffy, and the smut that they get up to, for - oh, god, years now. The happiest of days to you, and here comes the scrolling thing:

A Very Happy Birthday to herself_nyc!!

Your present will be arriving a weensy bit late, though, hun. I was stupid enough to try something handmade, so... (headdesk) Still working on it.

Fanfic Review - On Herself's What She Deserves, Part 1

SPECIAL BIRTHDAY SURPRISE!! There's an essay/review I've been meaning to write for something like ever, about herself_nyc's story What She Deserves. I've finally written it. Or at least Part 1.

Warning: The following is something like equal parts fannish swooning for Herself's writing and serious story and character analysis, so if you haven't read the the story, read it first before proceeding on to this text. This essay is less a fic rec (although it is that) than a spoilerrific analysis of its style, devices, and themes. It's about why it works the way it does, or at least why it does for me.

Why I Wrote This: This is a fic that affected me greatly when I first read it, and it still does - I cry copiously every time I look at it, often in different places than the last time because new things tend to jump out at me. There are many fics I like, many writers I admire, but only a few fics have really got me in the gut like this one. (There are a few, though; I've had vague thoughts of doing a series of reviews on my favorite fics, but given how long it took me to finish this one - I started writing it in my head over the weekend of the first WriterCon, in '04! - I probably shouldn't make promises.)

Finally, a note to the author:
Dear herself_nyc,
My thanks to you, and also my apologies for subjecting your work to this kind of analysis. Being able to write feedback that goes directly a work's creator is an experience I'm still getting used to, the weird combination of feelings it stirs up - humbling awe and embarrassment and awareness of one's own pretention - but I strongly believe this story deserves more than just two snaps in a circle, and if even one other new reader finds your fic through this review, and has an experience like I did, then it'll have done its job. I fangirl you, and you know it, but I respect your writing and your craft even more, and to me, this one fic really says it all. If I did my job right in explaining how, you'll soon see why.
-The Deadly Hook, 05.24.07

Spoilers, of course, for the story. Large sections of quoted text, and the story itself is NC-17, so there'll be some adult content. ( On Herself's story What She Deserves )