Fandom Special Snowflake meme, Day Nine

[dreamflower]

Day 9

In your own space, rec at least 3 fanworks you thought you wouldn't like (because they weren't your fandom or they pushed against your boundaries or you thought you just wouldn't be interested) but you ended up loving. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

Now, it's well known that my main interest in Middle-earth are the hobbits of the Shire; at first I had no interest in Elves unless the Elves were accompanied by hobbits; most certainly not Elves in Valinor with no hobbits anywhere to be seen. The first writer who made me like Elves asElves was Bodkin. She had a little series of vignettes called Reflections on the Paradise of Elves which were basically conversations between Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir as they adjusted to life in Aman. It started out humorously, but with each new chapter, she added more and more depth to the society she was showing us. It was fascinating! Hobbits will always be my first and best love. But they don't have to be there to make me like Elves now.

For a second story that pushed me a little further, there was Not Fade Away by Jael. I'd always discounted "modern Elves" stories. Most of them did not seem to be very well written. Jael's story blew me out of the water. Her Elves are magnificent and plausible, and Thranduil makes a most excellent CEO of a multi-national corporation.

To begin with, my reading was also confined only to Middle-earth. I was almost afraid of other fandoms. Then I discovered that under another name, my friend rabidsamfan had written Harry Potter fic. Knowing the excellence of her writing I gave a try with her story Yet Another Snape Meets the Dursleys. This was quite a bit of envelope pushing for me, because even though I liked the books and movies for HP, I was a little wary of the fic. I'd heard things. Plus I disliked Snape and I loathed the Dursleys! But because I knew I could trust RSF, I gave it a try. Now I read fairly widely in other fandoms I'm familiar with!

And just one more acknowledgement of someone giving me a push, this one as a writer. I'd never written in a non-Tolkien fandom, either. But my friend danae_b convinced me to take part in Yuletide one year, and I did, and I did it again for two more years. I still mostly create my stories in Tolkien's sandbox. But now it's nice to know that if I want to, I can dig a little in some of the other ones, too!

Comments

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

You sound very like me in your preferences save I rarely read anything without Aragorn in it.

[dreamflower]

LOL! I really do prefer the Shire-shaped sandbox with the hobbits in it. It's always my first choice in which to read, write and explore. Failing that my next choice is something else Middle-earthy, and I have to say it took me a while to expand to Aragorn-centric fic as well. But that has hobbits in it often enough, that it became easier for me to enjoy stories that DON'T have them. I enjoy your stories, as I do Cairistiona's, Meckinock's, Radbooks, and a few of the other Aragorn-centric writers. Then I enjoy stories of other members of the Fellowship.

But in recent years, I have also found that when I can't find any of those, I can also enjoy stories about Elves or Men or even some Silmarillion fic.

And I will sometimes check out stories in other fandoms I'm familiar with, such as Harry Potter or Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Star Trek.

But I am always gravitating back to my hobbits!!

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I love your Aragorn and Hobbit stories and wish you had more of them! I'm pleased you enjoy my stories too. Have you read MP Brennan's stories? She writes a stunning Aragorn and is worthy to stand alongside the writers you mention, all great favourites of mine.

Apart from LOTR I've written 2 Star Trek Voyager stories(my first ever fanfic) and a Harry Potter/LOTR Crossover. I could never get into Buffy, but otherwise we like the same fandoms!

[baranduin.livejournal.com]

Oh my, the modern AU by Jael is so much fun! Am about halfway through and am hooked.

[dreamflower]

Her stories are really awesome!

[the-winterwitch.livejournal.com]

Whut? I'm friended with somebody who doesn't like Snape? *gasps* *bits on trembling lower lip* *hids in the corner and cries*

;) How interesting to hear you've read at least a bit of Potterverse. If you dislike Snape, there won't be common likes there, though, I suppose. *g* (In case you're wondering, the icon shows my OTP in the Potterverse, Snape and McGonagall, though I've become fond of Snape/Pomfrey later as well.)

[dreamflower]

Well, I loathe canon Snape. I have found that there are a lot of fanon versions of him that I enjoy! (Although I like him best if he stays at least a little bit unlikeable too--and if there's a good reason for him to be likeable and not just the writer making him OOC!)

And it was all due to that fic I mentioned. Have you ever read it? It's an older story, written before OOtP came out, so it's now AU and thoroughly Jossed, but I don't mind that in HP fic.

[the-winterwitch.livejournal.com]

No, I haven't read it as I rarely read Severitus or Severus+wee Harry fics, I'm mainly reading and writing adults only in the Potterverse (including the students when they are of age/adults). But I'll give it a try after your rec, of course!:o)
And I AM writing canon Snape, with the caveat that what we see in the books is very much Harry's perception of things, events, and characters. The corner of fandom where I lurk(ed) was much about the other side of the coin: Snape certainly is not a nice character, or a kind one, but I usually see/read/write him where he can be himself, or is seen from the eyes of people who appreciate or love him. He is, in my eyes, a flawed, disillusioned, dissapointed character without any hope and a lot of cynicism and sarcasm, desperately trying to do the right thing while knowing from the start that he is at the loosing end and nothing good will ever come off it for himself. And he is utterly fascinating particularly because of these traits and failures. For me, MM/SS is also headcanon and fits well enough into canon that I can read the books and see the films without having to imagine very much. *g*