HollyDB
| Fan | |
|---|---|
| Name: | HollyDB |
| Alias(es): | Holly, Ameeya, DianaLecter |
| Type: | Author, Archive Administrator |
| Fandoms: | "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" "The Silence of the Lambs" |
| Communities: | "Elysian Fields" Spuffy Fanworks Archive |
| Other: | |
| URL: | https://storiesbyholly.com/ |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
HollyDB, is a fanfiction writer primarily known for her contributions to the Buffy/Spike pairing of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom. She is also one of the founders and current administrators of the Spuffy fanwork archive Elysian Fields.
History in Fandom
Holly began writing fanfiction at age 14. Her first online contributions were penned under the name DianaLecter for the Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal fandom and published on Loving Lecter. In 2002, at the age of 17, she began writing Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfiction, specifically the Buffy/Spike pairing. Her first story, Sang et Ivoire, took place immediately following the Season 6 episode Grave, and began publication prior to the airing of Season 7. She relied on episode summaries to fill in the gaps of her show knowledge, as she had not seen Season 6 at that time.
From 2002-2006, Holly produced a considerable amount of work for the Spuffy pairing. While her stories developed a decent following, Holly was discouraged by a contentious discussion on LiveJournal that disparaged the claiming trope, something prevalent in her works of that era. In 2006, she began writing under the pseudonym Ameeya, utilizing anonymity to write the tropes she enjoyed. The anonymity did not last long, however, as her writing style was distinctive enough to be identified. Regardless, she penned four stories under that name: Beloved in Blood, Possession, The Headstone, and began Strawberry Fields, all while still producing other works under Holly.
Later in 2006, Holly collaborated with Spuffy authors Megan, Angelic Amy, pfeifferpack, spikeslovebite, and spike_spetslayer to create Elysian Fields, an archive dedicated to Spuffy fanfiction. She remained with the archive through 2011, when she left fandom to pursue a career in publishing. Several of her works were converted from fanfiction to original fiction for the sake of publication, including Because, Possession, Echoes, and Southern Comfort, and published under the name Rosalie Stanton. Following the death of her father, Holly returned to fandom in 2017 to finish the story Strawberry Fields, which she had not updated since 2008. She also began writing her first new Spuffy work in eight years, as well as editing her earlier works, those written in high school and college, to enhance readability through the skills she had developed as a published author and a professional editor. This project is ongoing as of 2024. Likewise in 2017, all works were consolidated under Holly’s name, and Ameeya was officially retired.
In 2019, after the completion of her paranormal romance series, Sinners & Saints, Holly returned to Elysian Fields full-time. She was invited by OffYourBird, a member of the Elysian Fields administrative team, to rejoin as an administrator in early 2020, specifically to replace the outgoing tech mod, Susan. In early 2022, following the departure of several administrators, Holly recruited DarkVoid116 and EllieRose101 to the Elysian Fields administrative team, then cawthraven in 2023. She also worked to get Elysian Fields established as a 501(c)7 not-for-profit and has expanded the archive’s presence in larger fandom, guesting on episodes of the Slayerfest 98 podcast as well as multiple episodes of Another Buffy Podcast. Likewise, Holly was interviewed for a feature in Polygon regarding the significance of fanfiction and its power in reclaiming the story following the 20th anniversary of the controversial Buffy episode Seeing Red, alongside her fellow administrators.
Since returning to fandom, Holly has written more than 35 stories, including a canon compliant retelling of Angel the Series Season 5 entitled Inside Man, a reimagined Season 7 entitled Seven, numerous one-shots and drabbles. She also started a Buffy/Supernatural crossover featuring the pairing of Dean Winchester and Faith Lehane. While her current work does not feature claiming, she has not ruled out revisiting the trope in the future.
Example Fics
2002-2011 era
- Sang et Ivoire
- Yellow Brick Road
- Harbingers of Beatrice
- Beloved in Blood (written as Ameeya)
- Strawberry Fields (started) (written as Ameeya)
- The Writing on the Wall