Re: Another Brilliant Work!
*blush* Having my own words quoted back to me shouldn't make me squirm, but it does. I'm immensely flattered that you're taking the time to savor passages and share them with me. On the one hand, it's humbling, on the other it's intriguing to see what touches readers the most.
So, I've only finished two fics, but I feel it's safe to say that anything I write for this fandom is likely to include lengthy descriptions rhapsodizing over Snape's body and eroticizing it like whoa. I could be wrong, but I suspect it will always be a hallmark of my Snarries. ;)
I'm fiercely delighted that you were won over by the angels - which are actually one and the same, two sides of passion. I was nervous about using spiritual language to represent erotic intensity, but I couldn't think of any other way to do it. Besides, the images blazed up for me so vividly, with such force, I doubt I could have given them up without hurting the fic. So I'm glad the incarnation of passion worked for you. Thank you for telling me.
The tenderness - that was, on some level (and I realize there are many levels, and I prioritize them differently depending on my mood) the most important quality in the fic for me. I spent a lot of time wrestling with the plot, but it seemed that every time my guard was down, another image suffused with tenderness would blossom in my head. I wasn't looking for them; they came looking for me. I grew kind of obsessed with finding a way to put them all in. It was like being haunted. There are parts of this fic that make me ache, and they aren't even the parts I set out to write. It happens sometimes: the soul of the story emerges into the open, unbidden, and starts scattering clues. I fell in love with the smallest, quietest moments, and then agonized over whether or not I'd done them justice and whether or not they even belonged here.
So, once again, thank you for this gift: the knowledge that I caught some of the elusive beauty that compelled me to write this particular story in this particular way, along with the reassurance that the words I chose were evocative enough for someone else to feel it, too.