Rec: One Thousand Kisses Deep (Buffy)
I wish everyone could go read One Thousand Kisses Deep by seraphcelene. This writer always has poetic language and vivid imagery, but when I first read this what really got to me was the concept. I did some thinking about it and suggested some things to seraphcelene (which I took way too long on, sorry again, L), but what's remained is the core idea, which just gets me every time.
Lots of times I think of fanfic as a way to satisfy my id, or at the very least, very personal desires. In other words, "just for funsies!" Whenever it starts to get bigger and meta, I ask myself what stultiloquentia just asked (rhetorically) in an email: why do we do this again? Then I read fics like this, and remember. Dude, this is fun.
Here, take this show about a girl kicking vampire ass. I know there was deeper thinking going on in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's why I liked the show; sometimes, there were consequences. In season 7, Buffy and Willow turned some couple thousand girls into Slayers. Someone on the show considered some of the consequences there; there was the Crazy Slayer in season 5 of Angel.
But what One Thousand Kisses Deep does is comes along and says, "Wait. The fuck? Let's look at how this (Slayer) identity has always been oppressive, something forced on her that causes her to struggle for a sense of self. Let's look at how much I love Buffy, and what the fuck you just did to her. Let's look at what happens when you do this to a thousand other girls. Let's look at how much I love girls, and what you just did to all of them. Let's look at Buffy/Angel, how this affects the deeply twisted psychological issues already there. Let's look at motherfucking incest, let's look at female identity and abuse of power. Let's analyze the shit out of this, because it's going to be awesome. And why not do it heartbreaking prose, because I can?*"
Let's get to work. Guys, seriously. Seriously guys. I love fandom and I love writing and I love this.
*There is little to no actual cussing in this fic. I just get excited, sometimes.
Lots of times I think of fanfic as a way to satisfy my id, or at the very least, very personal desires. In other words, "just for funsies!" Whenever it starts to get bigger and meta, I ask myself what stultiloquentia just asked (rhetorically) in an email: why do we do this again? Then I read fics like this, and remember. Dude, this is fun.
Here, take this show about a girl kicking vampire ass. I know there was deeper thinking going on in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's why I liked the show; sometimes, there were consequences. In season 7, Buffy and Willow turned some couple thousand girls into Slayers. Someone on the show considered some of the consequences there; there was the Crazy Slayer in season 5 of Angel.
But what One Thousand Kisses Deep does is comes along and says, "Wait. The fuck? Let's look at how this (Slayer) identity has always been oppressive, something forced on her that causes her to struggle for a sense of self. Let's look at how much I love Buffy, and what the fuck you just did to her. Let's look at what happens when you do this to a thousand other girls. Let's look at how much I love girls, and what you just did to all of them. Let's look at Buffy/Angel, how this affects the deeply twisted psychological issues already there. Let's look at motherfucking incest, let's look at female identity and abuse of power. Let's analyze the shit out of this, because it's going to be awesome. And why not do it heartbreaking prose, because I can?*"
Let's get to work. Guys, seriously. Seriously guys. I love fandom and I love writing and I love this.
*There is little to no actual cussing in this fic. I just get excited, sometimes.