The Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day Five

[baudown]

The Fandom Snowflake Challenge Day 5: In your own space, talk about a creator. Show us why you think they are amazing.



So, this may not be what the challenge intended, because this person is 1) not currently writing (or at least, not posting); and 2) is someone everyone probably knows about, as she's a big name in fandom (and deservedly so).  I also already recced her work as part of the challenge, and I've already gushed about her in my journal.  But I'm going to talk yet again about Anna S eliade:


She has such a gift for getting to the emotional heart of character, her use of metaphor is stunning and original, and her character voices are perfect.  Her stories often leave me in an emotional puddle, and they just stay with me. I also want to point out that she writes more than just Spander (her Spander is most easily found at Spander Files, although there is more if you browse in her live journal memories under fiction.)  In that same fiction section, you'll find a wide variety of other pairings: Spike/Angel, Spike/Wesley, Angel/Wesley, and more, including het pairings.  She can make any pairing believable to me, and has led me to read in several different fandoms, including her fantastic Alias slash, even though I've never seen a single episode of the show (seriously, check it out -- it's really worth it).  Also, her (het) re-write of season six, Buffy Season Noir, though incomplete, is pretty incredible. (This link is on the Wayback Machine site, but the story is still up at her live journal, it's just more difficult to find there).

And if that's not enough, here's part of a previous post I wrote about my umpteenth reading of her brilliant story Subtleties: "It started me thinking, about how reading this story the first time was such an enormously significant event for me.  I'd only been reading fanfiction for about six months, slash for even less, and Spander less than that...and then -- Subtleties.  And I had one of those experiences where reading something doesn't feel like reading -- it feels like an actual experience, as if I was in that story, sharing every moment, every thought, every emotion...It wasn't until I went back and read it a second time that I even had an appreciation for the beautiful, beautiful writing, because the writing and the content were so organically intertwined...And here's what happened:  the story made me fall head over heels in love with Spander...It made me an obsessive Spander reader.  It made me want to write them, despite never having done any writing in my life...It made me stop thinking of fanfic/slash as a guilty pleasure, and start seeing it as a legitimate form, and one in which there is a great deal of extraordinary work.  It made me give feedback on someone's writing for the first time, and dip my toe into those on-line waters. It made me open a livejournal account.  It precipitated a lot of changes, which have generally enriched my life."

Enjoy her, if you haven't already!

Comments

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

Eloquently put, my dear.

Subtleties is one of the stories that's permanently on my e-reader - I know that I can start at the beginning and just lose myself, or I can just open it at any given chapter and wallow in the writing, the language, the imagery and the characterisation of these two gorgeous, ridiculous, frustrating, beautiful boys.

The fact that it brought you all those other things is enough for the rest of us to be thankful for, because your writing too, is a wonderful contribution to our fandom.

s xxx

[baudown.livejournal.com]

Yes -- Subtleties is a very special story, and it doesn't lose its power for me, even on many, many re-reads. There's nothing of hers I won't read. I mean, she has a Spike/Lorne story, and I read it.

And thank you for such a wonderful compliment. *blushes*

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

She sounds marvelous. I loved Whore, so I shall give her other work a try.


Gabrielle

[baudown.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so envious that you get to read her for the first time...

[comlodge.livejournal.com]

I've played in Anna S' fields of glory. Must go re-visit.

[baudown.livejournal.com]

It's always a fun trip.