We , Spike lovers
It's Sunday evening and after spending two hours reading fanfictions with gorgeous characterizations , I have some musings about fandom on my mind. This post is dedicated to calove.
One year ago I was afraid our fandom was beginning to fade away. Some well- appreciated authors on my f-list were slowly losing interest in the shows and announcing that they wouldn’t be writing new stories.
All those fictions we had in the following months at the end of Btvs and Ats felt like a brilliant burst of sunlight through the clouds .
Some writers have started to leave, sometimes to explore other fandoms , sometimes to try original work. Life is change , interests differ . Moving on is only the natural way of things. When moments of wonder and pleasure pass , there is the sadness of the loss , the warmth of memory yet.
The community has declined , but in the same time we hear new voices , we see many people - and new people ! - investing their time in fics , artworks , videos, celebrating their everlasting love for the characters.
There is quite an overwhelming number of new fictions , the majority involving Spike.
Spuffy authors are creative and apparently don’t get tired of the messy , hot , passionate , tragic story.
Many authors are imaginative , entertaining us with great plots , beautiful imagery and pairings. New communities are blossoming.
Of course things have shifted. We don't have new episodes anymore to fuel our passion , but the characters are still inspiring , still calling - maybe more than ever now that we have a different perspective , two years after the end of Ats - for richer interpretations.
And I just realized something : we’re going to stay. You can call me delusional .
I just believe that Spike is the guiding force behind our fascination. The most appealing , heartbreaking , life -enhancing character.
He was the reason the series became an irresistible delight , he was the reason I started reading fanfic, and he is the reason why I shall never leave.
I guess a lot of people will step away from fandom . But I do hope a lot will be here till they drop. People willing to keep on bringing their creations to life , and finding pleasure in sharing their works .
It isn’t about the show for me anymore. It goes beyond that.
What I came up with is that for me , the heart of the passion those characters inspired me is lying here : I don’t need new episodes to be emotionally involved.
The characters - Buffy and Spike mostly , Spike above all others - are important.
They’re what matters.
When morgantree eloquently shared her thoughts on Spike and what he meant to her , when she received an amazing response because it struck many chords with other Spike lovers , I realized that the way I’ve been moved by Spike ‘s story and character went so deep within my heart and soul.
Spike is an illusion and a truth. Spike - in my case , Spike’s journey , his love for Buffy and his desire of redemption - through all the written manifestations of his awesome nature , reveals what's underneath for my own real life , to awake.
A frame of mind.
If I could , I would make those words mine .:)
This being, this beautiful, complicated Spike - a creature who, with or without a soul, is always stumbling on the way to something, well, effulgent, without a hope in hell that he will ever actually reach it. This determined, devoted bastard who has the courage to fail spectacularly as many times as it takes.
Even if we're just a few left , I will be among those who will try to listen what he has to say , always and forever.
Who, though I cry aloud,
would hear me in the angel orders?
And should my plea ascend,
were I gathered to the glory
of some incandescent heart,
my own faint flame of being
would fail for the glare.
Beauty is as close to terror
as we can well endure.
Rainer .M.Rilke. Duino Elegies.
I would hear you William. I heard you.
One year ago I was afraid our fandom was beginning to fade away. Some well- appreciated authors on my f-list were slowly losing interest in the shows and announcing that they wouldn’t be writing new stories.
All those fictions we had in the following months at the end of Btvs and Ats felt like a brilliant burst of sunlight through the clouds .
Some writers have started to leave, sometimes to explore other fandoms , sometimes to try original work. Life is change , interests differ . Moving on is only the natural way of things. When moments of wonder and pleasure pass , there is the sadness of the loss , the warmth of memory yet.
The community has declined , but in the same time we hear new voices , we see many people - and new people ! - investing their time in fics , artworks , videos, celebrating their everlasting love for the characters.
There is quite an overwhelming number of new fictions , the majority involving Spike.
Spuffy authors are creative and apparently don’t get tired of the messy , hot , passionate , tragic story.
Many authors are imaginative , entertaining us with great plots , beautiful imagery and pairings. New communities are blossoming.
Of course things have shifted. We don't have new episodes anymore to fuel our passion , but the characters are still inspiring , still calling - maybe more than ever now that we have a different perspective , two years after the end of Ats - for richer interpretations.
And I just realized something : we’re going to stay. You can call me delusional .
I just believe that Spike is the guiding force behind our fascination. The most appealing , heartbreaking , life -enhancing character.
He was the reason the series became an irresistible delight , he was the reason I started reading fanfic, and he is the reason why I shall never leave.
I guess a lot of people will step away from fandom . But I do hope a lot will be here till they drop. People willing to keep on bringing their creations to life , and finding pleasure in sharing their works .
It isn’t about the show for me anymore. It goes beyond that.
What I came up with is that for me , the heart of the passion those characters inspired me is lying here : I don’t need new episodes to be emotionally involved.
The characters - Buffy and Spike mostly , Spike above all others - are important.
They’re what matters.
When morgantree eloquently shared her thoughts on Spike and what he meant to her , when she received an amazing response because it struck many chords with other Spike lovers , I realized that the way I’ve been moved by Spike ‘s story and character went so deep within my heart and soul.
Spike is an illusion and a truth. Spike - in my case , Spike’s journey , his love for Buffy and his desire of redemption - through all the written manifestations of his awesome nature , reveals what's underneath for my own real life , to awake.
A frame of mind.
If I could , I would make those words mine .:)
This being, this beautiful, complicated Spike - a creature who, with or without a soul, is always stumbling on the way to something, well, effulgent, without a hope in hell that he will ever actually reach it. This determined, devoted bastard who has the courage to fail spectacularly as many times as it takes.
Even if we're just a few left , I will be among those who will try to listen what he has to say , always and forever.
Who, though I cry aloud,
would hear me in the angel orders?
And should my plea ascend,
were I gathered to the glory
of some incandescent heart,
my own faint flame of being
would fail for the glare.
Beauty is as close to terror
as we can well endure.
Rainer .M.Rilke. Duino Elegies.
I would hear you William. I heard you.