Many people have posted about this by now (much thanks to abby82 for cluing me on) and everyone should know!  If you've missed it so far, come catch up.  "Rich's ComixBlog" is featuring a project called Forever Janette.  (LiveJournal syndication of RSS Feed here; DreamWidth syndication of RSS Feed here.)

The praiseworthy art features functional resemblances and excellent composition.  It's set between season two and season three, where so many wonderful tales fit.  I've wanted to see FK as a comic for ages!  There are sixteen installments so far.  The creator seems to know his canon.

It's also a crossover with Doctor Who.  ( Spoilers )

The gen_ficathon moderator has temporarily reopened sign-ups, and asked participants to consider adding prompts and/or fandoms, hoping to ease matching.  She specifically calls out Forever Knight as a fandom needing more prompts (also HL, B5, LotR, ST:TOS, ST:TNG, SJA and a few more).

She would like to offer every writer two compatible prompts, which is generous, pragmatic -- and ambitious, perhaps?  I would like to help her matching, but of the neglected fandoms listed, my original requests covered three (probably meaning I'm part of the problem; darn) and I'm not familiar with most of the rest.  I'll keep thinking on it.

As we're talking ficathons, just a reminder that sign-ups for the next oldschoolfic event come due June 30 (Tuesday).

Recently, in FK on my LJ Friends List:

Cast and Crew.
On 06/22, abby82 marked Catherine Disher's birthday by quoting CD's enthusiasm for Snakes & Ladders and excerpting an interview with CD from just before her Gemini win.

Ficathons.

• On 06/18, the oldschoolfic moderator wondered why sign-ups were down this event.  Hopefully, they've picked up since.  (Sign-up deadline: 06/30.)
  
• On 06/05, gen_ficathon put up sign-up posts for beta-readers and pinch-hitters.  (Sign-up deadline: 06/25. Today!)
  
• On 06/04, amilyn encouraged FK folks to come play with her in the two FK-eligible ficathons this summer.
  
• On 06/04, gen_ficathon put up sign-ups and rules and the official fandoms.
  
• On 06/03, oldschoolfic announced and began taking sign-ups for their fourth event (all out-of-production fandoms like FK are eligible this time, no exceptions).

Fanfiction.

• On 06/20, cousinmary posted "The 24th of the Month" (PG).
  
• On 05/27 and 05/26, cousinmary reposted some old stories: "Dead Bastard" (PG) and "Mutual Acquaintances."

Memes and Miscellaneous.

• On 06/23, ithildyn drank LaCroix water.
  
• On 06/21, abby82 let us know that Kristen's Knight Vision is back up, ISP problem solved.
  
• On 06/14, abby82 premiered her new fansite, including an FK division.  It's not much stocked yet, but she has an extensive NK:FK comparison in the works.

Everyone else knows this already, right?  Forever Knight is on Hulu, with seasons one and two up for free online viewing -- with commercials.  (To view without commercials, purchase episode downloads from Amazon for $1.99, or of course the DVDs.)

I pinged Hulu for the first time this weekend while signing up for the oldschoolfic ficathon (sign up by June 30; this is the one for any genre, in out-of-production fandoms only).  My FK prompt references an episode, which should be easy, I thought.  Rewatch just one episode, and all set!  But what if my prompt recipient doesn't own the DVDs, or they're packed away, or something?  It seems Hulu will serve nicely.

I had already signed up for the gen_ficathon event (sign up by June 25; this is the one for gen only, in any fandom), so now I'm conclusively in both FK-eligible events this summer.  In over my head?  We'll see. :-)

What's good?  I'm happy to get to present lizbetann's "Night in Hell" as June's recommendation-of-the-month.  Written shortly after "The Human Factor" first aired, this story fits one scenario neatly into the infamous gap -- once a subject of fervent debate -- between Nick's agonized cry and Reese's phone call.  Unusually, this story addresses that key lacuna from Natalie's perspective.

     The house was crawling with police and the fire department when she got there.  She didn't even bother trying to fight her way through the crowds.  If Nick had gotten out, but was hurt, he would be nearby.  He would need her.  She refused to consider the thought that he hadn't gotten out.

-----
What's new?  In May, fkfic-l saw six stories by two authors.  ( List with Links )

So sign-ups continue at two upcoming FK-eligible ficathons: gen_ficathon (sign-up deadline 25 June) and oldschoolfic (sign-up deadline 30 June).  I've now signed up for one, and will sign up for the other in time.

Because the gen_ficathon sign-ups are public, I can share a current FK-participation tally:

• FK Prompts Submitted: 4 (here, here, here, and here)
  
• FK Writers Offering: 5 (here, in addition to those above)

Because oldschoolfic's sign-ups are screened, I can't do the same, but they have achieved at least one FK story in each of their previous events.

Stray thought:  You know what it seems as if no one requests?  Vachon's crew.  Surely someone should prompt for Urs, Screed, Bourbon and the wide-eyed guy with the hair...

I got home from work past midnight and was (quite reasonably, I think) grumpy about it, until the mail lifted my mood.  Awaiting me was the July/August issue of Archaeology, and the article titles studding the cover include:

• "Vampire Exorcism"
  
• "Conquistadors in the Carolinas"
  
• "Update: Building the Great Pyramid"

God, gold and glory, as Susan once summed up the three guys at the bar.  Heh!  Easily amused, me... :-)

We have two (2) FK-eligible events this summer!  FK won a place among the official fandoms of the new gen_ficathon, and of course FK is always eligible for oldschoolfic, by definition.  Their timeframes overlap, but it's not impossible to participate in both.  I'm planning to give it a whirl.  I hope you will, too!  (I would enjoy receiving FK prompts to write. ~g~)  I have not yet signed up for either, but just because I need to plan and ponder my prompts.  (What makes a high-quality prompt?  Different things for different people, I'm sure.)

	Gen Ficathon I	OldSchoolFic IV
Fandoms:	Official Fandoms List	Any Out-of-Production Fandom
Posts:	Rules and Sign-ups	Rules and Sign-Ups
Sign-ups:	June 04-25 Sign-ups are public.	June 03-30 Sign-ups are screened.
Assignments Sent:	June 28	July 01
Deadline:	August 11	September 01
Minimum Length:	One/1000 words	One/1000 words or Two/500 words

gen_ficathon is bright new.  oldschoolfic, on the other hand, has held three events to date, and I've played them all ("A Delicate Balance" (FK), "Fearful Symmetry" (FK) and "So This is Home" (HL)) and found them quite satisfactory.  With two events so close together, I'm going to have to aim at shorter stories (as much_madness is always telling me to).  Pity: I will get a whole week off work for the first time in over a year just before the assignments go out.  If only it were after!  :-)

Recently, in FK on my LJ Friends List:

Fanfiction.

• On 05/27, gen_ficathon opened voting for the official fandoms for their event. Voting is open through 06/03. That's TODAY!
  
• On 05/22, the unwritten prompts for the 2009 femme_fic event went up. Two are FK.
  
• On 05/05, abby82 posted "Perchance to Dream: Ghost Song," an R-rated series of scenes in the "Curiouser & Curiouser" AU.
  
• On 05/12, merfilly posted "Does He Love You?," a very short Natalie and Janette reply to a "stuck in an elevator" prompt.

Cast and Crew.

• On 05/18, abby82 linked to iFMagazine's interview of Jon Cassar, and excerpted the FK-specific portion.
  
• On 05/10, pj1228 reviewed The War of 1812, a Gemini-winning documentary in which Nigel Bennett plays General Winfield Scott.  She shares many screenshots.  (I would note that FK's one reference to that war is in "Unreality TV.")

13th Anniversary of LK.

• On 05/25, abby82 posted 20 beautiful userpic icons from "Last Knight." I wouldn't have thought of LK as beautiful, but she shows it so.
  
• On 05/19, ithildyn recalled one of her "Blood Ties" (FK/HL crossover) stories, and mused on the thirteen years since LK.
  
• On 05/18, abby82 scanned and shared an LK image from the liner-notes for the second soundtrack.  (If you're lacking either of Mr. Mollin's two FK soundtrack albums, Amazon sells both CDs and downloads.)

Memes and Miscellaneous.

• On 05/29, havocthecat posted some screenshots of women characters and/or actresses, and her F-List joined in as invited. FK is represented!

Several people posted assorted FK things under locks, too.  For those, you're on your own. :-)

Voting for the official gen_ficathon fandoms is open, and will remain so through June 3.  A total of 92 fandoms were nominated!  The winners of this vote will become the list from which every participant must make minimum offers/requests (in addition to any wild cards) so that matching can work.  Fingers crossed for FK. :-)

Voters may name up to five fandoms.  Voters are requested to vote for only those fandoms they are most likely to write/request, and also to vote only if they plan to participate.  (I considered voting only for FK and HL, lest my votes push others ahead of my best beloved.  But on reflection, I went ahead and named the next three things on their list I believe I could write most credibly.  I may feel differently another day, but tonight those were ( list )).

On Friday, havocthecat wished for picspam of "awesome women."  In response, I made this batch of new userpic icons featuring female FK characters together.  The exercise brought home how rarely the women are on screen at the same moment, even when they are the only two characters in the scene; typically, FK's camera moves back and forth, from one character to the other, instead of showing them together.   (Cohen with Natalie was harder to run down than I expected, and of course the only recurring female character with whom Urs ever shares a shot is Divia.)

Available if you would like them:

01. Natalie and Grace	02. Natalie and Janette	03. Brianna and Janette

( 10 More )

The original screenshots for most of these come from Nancy T.'s Knight Watchman.  I tried to drop by Kristen H.'s Knight Vision, too, but it's gone!  This of course means I've let my links go way too long unchecked, and I should run backward through forkni-l digests until I learn what happened.  (If I heard of this and forgot, I shall be covered with embarrassment, but don't let that stop you from reminding me. ~g~)

This is the little story I posted to fkfic-l on the thirteenth anniversary of "Last Knight," written just because I wanted to post something new that day.  (The story has nothing to do with LK.)

My thanks to much_madness for the prompt of Tracy and Schanke discussing Nick, and to leela_cat and amilyn for the eleventh-hour scrutiny and scrubbing that let me post on time.  (tv_elf? Happy Easter.)

	•	Title:	"When Donut Met Button"
	•	Length:	~1,600 words
	•	Date:	Posted to FKFic-L May 18, 2009
	•	Rating:	G
	•	Summary:	Tracy receives advice from Schanke on partnering with Nick.
	•	Setting:	Shortly after "Outside the Lines"
	•	Characters:	Tracy, Schanke
	•	Quotation:	"Trust me: he's not so generous with his pats on the back that you can afford to brush them off."

Recently, I decided to make myself a "thank you" userpic icon.  You see the result with this post -- Magda thanking Nick at the end of "For I Have Sinned" -- but I was surprised how few choices I could call to mind.  Is "I will repay you (by not killing you while you're impaled on a meat rack)," double-entendre and all, really so expressive of the series's overall approach?  I'm satisfied with my icon, but it got me thinking about gratitude as a story element and in character development in FK.

The most powerful and straightforward "thank you" scene that I could call to mind is the tag of "1966," when Lily expresses her undying gratitude for Nick's rescue of her family, mentioning so many of the lives that are better for Nick's intervention, and hinting at the ever-expanding waves of good from his action, such as her son.  (Unfortunately for icon-making, there's nothing visual there to grab.  It's Nick listening to his answering machine.  Either you know what you're seeing in the still, or you don't.  It doesn't suggest anything to a stranger.)

In second place, I think, is Magda thanking Nick, the scene I picked for my icon.  He's just saved her life, and her gesture of gratitude includes almost forcing on him the memento of her cross necklace.  She doesn't know what it means that he can hold it, but we do.  (For icon-making, her action and stance seem to me to be visually suggestive of their emotional content.)

But beyond those?  ( Read more... )

I just discovered that a multifandom gen_ficathon is coming our way!  Excellent.  With no animosity toward the infinite wonderful flavors of romance, I consider gen my natural habitat.

I nominated FK in their fandoms poll.  The next step, says their rules post, will be voting for the official fandoms May 27-June 3.  As is customary, participants must offer to write in a minimum number of designated fandoms for the game to be manageable.  FK will need to achieve "official" status on the ballot to make it likely we'll see FK written in this event.  They plan to send assignments on June 28, with a posting deadline of August 11.

(The moderator seems to be paperflowered.  I'm not acquainted with her.  Are you?)

Addendum:  Shall I define "gen"?  It originally stood for "general."  The current usage seems to be that all fanfiction can be divided into gen or romance, and that romance can then be subdivided by the identities of the participants.  Both gen and romance may have any rating; it's a matter of subject, not severity.

The femme_fic queue is released!  This is the "We Love Female Characters" ficathon, with a wide mix of fandoms and genres.  There are unfortunately no FK stories this time (only falcon_horus and I submitted FK prompts), but there are over fifty stories celebrating female characters!  Take a glance at the catalogue post, and you're likely to see something in one of your fandoms.

I received a Buffy the Vampire Slayer Jenny Calendar prompt imagined by havocthecat, and wrote "Fortune Prove" in response.  Of the prompts I submitted, pervyficgirl picked my Marvel Comics Scarlet Witch prompt, and wrote "Magic Mirrors Looking at People Who Belong to Us," which indulges me by crawling into the canon space after issue #12 of the second V&SW limited series (which they should reissue now).

It will take me weeks to read my way through the ficathon, but I want to note up front that there are new stories by havocthecat, amilyn and falcon_horus from my LJ F-List (did I miss anyone?), and that I had the privilege of beta-reading for amilyn and seshat_maat.  I'd also like to thank my own generous beta-readers: amilyn, batdina, much_madness and wiliqueen.

So.  The eighteenth of May, 2009.  A forkni-l digest dropped.  A new story hit fkfic-l.  Different more in scope than substance from the eighteenth of May, 1996...

Well, sure, except for the obvious. :-)  It really is a long time past, isn't it?  I'm still deeply glad for FK and the friends I made in it.  I'm grateful to still be in touch with as many as I am.  I'm grateful that the lists still live.  I'm grateful that when I watched "Hunters" recently, it was even better than I remembered (and "Outside the Lines" even worse).

A toast to the goldenplaid parody script!  A prayer for everyone who ever loved the show.  And thanks to you, who are reading now.

What's good?  Enthused about alternate universes, coming off the new Star Trek movie?  For May, I'm excited to get to recommend a story set in FK's one canonical AU.  "Perchance to Dream: Ghost Song" (2009, rated R) by abby82 plunges beautifully, wretchedly into the "Curiouser & Curiouser" inversion.

Slowly, Janette's perfume surrounds him like a comfortable blanket and for a few precious moments Nick pretends this is exactly what he wants--the trappings of domestic bliss. ... Nick sneaks a look at his watch. If he leaves now, he can make it.

Happy tenth anniversary to the recommendation-of-the-month project!  In May 1999, the very first recommendation was of susanmgarrett's "Peerless Pressure."

-----
What's new?  In April, fkfic-l saw three stories by three authors.  ( List )

I am somewhat nervously awaiting the response from my last beta reader on the BtVS story for femme_fic.  I therefore feel obliged to keep my head in BtVS, with my desktop wallpaper and screen saver showing Sunnydale, and those DVDs conveniently out.  For all I know, deep revisions will be required, and only a thick cushion of canon will let me execute them in time.

Even so, the calendar has turned my thoughts home to FK.  May 18, 2009 will be the thirteenth anniversary of the first airing of "Last Knight" (give or take; local syndication varied, etc.) and I want to post something to fkfic-l on that day again this year.  The gesture has felt good in years past.  (Feel free to join in, by the way. Excellent day for posting.)  It doesn't have to be related to LK -- I've been in a mood to ignore LK for years now -- but it must be as much worth the reader's time as I can manage, and I don't have anything on the verge of ready.  ( Just musing... )

I've spent all my hobby time for the past several weeks on my femme_fic story.  One kind beta-reader has already looked at it and, because of the grace period, it will get another scrub.  Here's hoping it will be at least the sum of its parts.

It's not FK, which is why I haven't been posting.  (Well, that and life... you know the drill.)  I've written outside FK before, of course, but this is my first go at this particular fandom (BtVS), and it's also my longest story yet outside FK.  I noticed that given an FK prompt, I tend to rewatch one relevant episode many times, but given a non-FK prompt, I tend to try to review (literally, re-view) all remotely relevant canon.  I think perhaps I must adjust my scale the next time out, as much_madness often tells me. :-)

This second femme_fic event marks the first anniversary of my ficathon participation.  They're a lot like list challenges, but the exchange aspect and the deadline are key differences that really ramped up my production.  I just wish I had more hobby time to go around!

Recently, in FK on my LJ Friends List:

Memes. 

• On 04/30, havocthecat listed Natalie, Janette, Tracy, Erica, Fleur, Cohen, Myra, and Naomi Ross (from "Near Death"), and ithildyn listed Janette, in the "She's Awesome" (female characters) meme.
  
• On 04/24, ithildyn answered the "Writer's Block: Celebrating Friendships" question with "the Forever Knight 1996 group."
  
• On 04/03, amilyn described both Grace and Natalie in the "Name a Character" meme.

Graphics. 

• On 04/26, abby82 shared an extensive tribute to the beloved popcorn-throwing scene at the end of "False Witness," including multiple collages and transcribed dialogue.
  
• On 04/16, abby82 posted 24 FK userpic icons, in assorted subjects from all seasons.  Many of them are downright funny and clever, so you may want to take a peek even if you're full-up on icons.

Cast and Crew. 

• On 04/20, abby82 reported the news that the Red Barn Theater was destroyed in a fire.  In '94, Geraint Wyn Davies and Catherine Disher performed there.
  
• On 04/18, pj1228 reviewed Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story, co-starring Nigel Bennett as a newspaper publisher.  She's got screenshots...
  
• On 04/13, abby82 shared a detailed, screenshot-rich recap of the movie The Vindicator
  (1986), co-starring Catherine Disher.  Need a photo of "young Natalie" to Photoshop into FKness?  Try these!

What's good?  For April, I recommend neonhummingbird's brassy Nick and Natalie short story "If I Were You" (1998), which runs Nick from hope to despair and back, while Natalie insists on balance and realism.

"That's enough, Nick!" Her voice cut through the darkness like a whip crack over the noise of the skycaps and the crowd milling around the terminal, even at 4 a.m.  ...  "You listen to me, detective.  You are not the walking jinx you think you are."

-----
What's new?  In March, fkfic-l saw four authors post eight stories.  Completed tales in order by the date of the final installment: ( List )

Recently, in FK on my LJ Friends List:

Vids.  abby82, on 03/23, posted her new Fang Gang vid "La familia" (Mirah).  On 03/03, she mused on Nick/Natalie versus Nick vidding plans, and on 03/01, posted her new Divia vid, "Burn" (Nine Inch Nails).

Meta. 

• mysticalcat7, on 03/23, announced that she has uploaded the last of fkspoilr, the June 1996 digests, following her 03/07 announcement that she uploaded the May 1996 fkspoilr digests.  Fkspoilr, of course, was the spoiler discussion list (a sibling of fkfic-l), and those were the days of "Last Knight"'s first airing.
  
• endcredits, on 03/02, snuck an FK reference into her reflections on the season finale of Being Human.

Memes. 

• ithildyn, on 03/24, answered about Janette in a Five Questions Per Character meme, and on 03/07, shared a Canadian Foods Meme.  What, no ribena? :-)
  
• abby82, on 03/04, addressed a WIP Meme. Four of hers are clearly FK.
  
• ithildyn, on 03/02, in a Five Things Meme, mentioned first meeting ninjababe on the FK IRC channel, and the collaborative origin of her FK/HL universe.

Fanfiction. 

• abby82, on 03/30, posted a new, G-rated, N&N story titled Change Upon Us, written for the "Fic Drought NNFic Challenge" at the NNFic Yahoo! Group (which I didn't know existed; good for them!).
  
• dj_clawson, on 03/11, discussed the possible publishing future and challenges of her Aristotle stories.
  
• falcon_horus, on 03/03, listed and linked all the submissions to her Claire Rankin Character Mini-Ficathon.  The FK entries are: "Not in the Stars but in Ourselves" by tanaquisga (FK/SGA), "Memories" by falcon_horus (FK/SGA), and "Three Fireweed Seeds" by me (FK).

Cast and Crew. 

• abby82, on 03/29, reviewed Deborah Duchene's episode of Beyond Reality (1991), a two-season Canadian series with lots of FK cast and crew. She's generous with screenshots.
  
• When the news about the SciFi Channel rebranding itself "SyFy" (um, right, that'll make 'em cooler than us) came out, many remembered the days when Ms. Hammer ran the USA network and with it FK's third season, including ithildyn here, wiliqueen here, studiesinlight here...
  
• pj1228, on 03/15, reviewed A Bug and a Bag of Weed, a comedy with Nigel Bennett.

These user-pic icons come from a batch I made for leela_cat in December, when she was writing her first FK fiction in a very long time.  Those stories mostly starred Janette and Nick, so these icons do, too.  She picked the icons she wanted; these twenty others are available if you would like them.  For a change, they're text-free.

1.	2.	3.

( More Icons )

Needing a place for the results of multi-fandom ficathon events in which I don't happen to get FK assignments, I finally bit the bullet and put up my non-FK fanfiction, linked off my FK fanfiction.  There isn't much.  (To keep down the volume on the non-FK side, I invite everyone to submit lots of FK prompts in all future ficathon events. ~g~)

I'm afraid I'm behind on everything again.  My apologies to anyone to whom I owe responses.  (endcredits, this includes the essay on why FK and SGA fanfiction are more than mere worlds and time apart.  Delayed, not forgotten!)